Situation
Our client was one a thriving printing company specializing in plastic and card production. The company is a 100% Canadian owned and operated company with over 15 years of success serving the retail sector.
Requirements
Schroeder & Schroeder was commissioned to determine the operations optimization potential by:
- Pinpointing opportunities for profitability improvement
- Offering an external opinion on the organization’s efficiency and agility
- Training entrepreneurs (i.e., owner and management team) on the Value Creation Index (VCI) and on the Lean process improvement concept of “value”
- Creating awareness of the importance of continuous improvement
Challenges
The main challenges faced on this project included:
- A family run business, with anywhere from 35-80 employees (dependent upon peak vs. non peak times) including several family members
- Highly-divergent skill levels in the labour force
- A very loose management/supervisory structure with little definition of roles and responsibilities
- A highly-disgruntled work force in one of the two locations
Actions
After analyzing the project requirements our consultants addressed the challenges presented and performed the following actions to deliver results to the client:
- Conducted a Business Practice Analysis – used Lean methods including Process Mapping, Ishikawa Diagramming, and 5S Analysis, to identify challenges. A key performance factor audit and waste analysis was conducted to identify opportunities for improvement. Observations were also made during facility visits and connected to Value Creation variables (sales, raw materials and labour).
- Identified Challenges and Priorities – identified key issues related costs, delay, and quality. Translated key issues into two fundamental priorities: essential optimization projects and custom optimization projects.
- Identified Potential Gains – conducted a sensitivity analysis to identify potential gains with, and without, growth
- Established a Comprehensive Action Plan – defined a project management approach and created multiple project plans with individual activities and duties, timelines and impacts.
Results
Through this approach, Schroeder & Schroeder developed a comprehensive operations optimization plan with multiple projects and goals for the company, including:
- IT development to support current and growth environments.
- Performance dashboards, including select performance indicators and objectives, and the introduction of routine quality and performance meetings.
- Definition of custom optimization projects such as an ERP system including inventory management system designed to improve customer satisfaction, profitability, and operational agility.
- Continuous improvement investment recommendation required in order for the organization to improve competitiveness.
Upon conclusion of the project, all key success factors had been achieved, and the client was highly satisfied with both the project deliverables and the value added by Schroeder & Schroeder Inc.