We are proud of our chain of successes, and consider them to be the result of extensive expertise in the many tools available to increase productivity, and in the implementation of these tools in both union and non-union environments. Please visit the case studies for the following results, and contact us if you'd like more information.
Business Strategy
The market assessment system we describe shows that prioritization of effort in today's environment is critically important. One cannot treat all prospects equal, and as employees do more the criteria needs to be well designed – and well defined.
It is also critically important to determine what your customers value, and work to provide it. In the quote cycle time example speed is more important to the customer than price, and hit rate – getting more jobs – can be more important than unnecessarily accurate costing.
Increased Throughput
Capacity constraints can originate from human resource limitations, machine tool limitations, and equipment downtime, as well as poor or arbitrary operations management.
With guidance, the solution can often be inexpensive; purchase of a different (usually more simple) machine tool, relegation of less frequent products or work scopes to a separate line, or Total Predictive Maintenance (TPM) of equipment to reduce downtime.
Managing a team of people engaged in the manufacture or repair of a product to be responsive to customer needs, deliver high margin results on time, and do it safely, is a challenging position. Responding to changes in demand or in labor availability consumes a manager's time. It is much easier if rules – Standard Operating Procedures – are developed, implemented and followed. With good rules in place a team can function more autonomously, leaving Managers free to do more important work.
Shorter Lead Time
Lead Time is directly correlated to Work In Process (WIP) Inventory. At the same output rate, a fifty percent reduction in WIP will cut Lead Time by 50%. A boot manufacturer, for example, can cut WIP 50% to cut the Lead Time of his special orders in half. Conversely, a jet engine repair facility may be able to cut lead time to free up an engine for use in generating cash flow.
Quality
Six Sigma is used to monitor product quality, or to prove a machine or method has the capability of producing good product, or as a framework in which to test the effect of changing input variables. It is also used to determine the cause of a problem, and test its competing solutions. Yet the tools of Six Sigma can be used for so much more.
We have used them to greatly reduce quote cycle time, to prove the speed of one method over another, and to replace dozens of different part SKUs with one.