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Process Improvement

MetaExpert Kier-Monti Packs a Big Punch with Protein Bar Packaging Overhaul

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Cara Chatellier
Monti Packs a Big Punch with Protein Bar Packaging Overhaul
Situation A manufacturer for protein bar packaging recently moved relocated from a 50,000 square foot operation facility to a new 350,000-square-foot operation facility. This resulted in an assembly line production change where stand-up assembly packaging lines were converted to brand new automated packaging lines. In addition, there was a folding carton redesign where the Straight Tuck End folding cartons were replaced by new Top Kliklok folding cartons. The manufacturer also transitioned to and needed to integrate a new international packaging equipment supplier. Finally, the company needed a new documentation system for more accurate data collection and organization from start to finish.  The manufacturing company hired MetaExpert Kier-Monti, a packaging engineering expert with ample experience to design, measure, analyze, improve, and control the entire packaging process from location A to location B.  Actions Over the course of an 18-month contract, Kier-Monti took the following actions and strategies to evaluate and retool…
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MetaExpert Kellen Crushes Cross-Functional Disconnect and Order-to-Delivery (OTD) Improvement

Posted By: 
Cara Chatellier
Cross-Functional Disconnect and Order-to-Delivery
Situation MetaExpert Kellen was brought on board to lead a study that focused on lean policy deployment and order-to-delivery (OTD) improvement. According to MetaExpert Kellen, current state analysis determined that there was:  no visual management no leader standard work no cross-functional communication or collaboration no daily metrics tracked or reviewed no daily structured problem solving no cross-functional training or knowledge understanding across departments or production floor processing capabilities In addition, product sales had increased by 35% with no capacity planning or production availability preparation.  Actions MetaExpert Kellen leveraged his expertise in process improvement strategies to get the company back on track. He was able to: achieve lean policy deployment implementation,  complete and develop cross-functional training  Develop and utilize plant capacity model to align sales team with operations available capacity and capabilities develop and improve router instructions for the scheduler to properly utilize plant equipment capabilities and capacity Results/ROI MetaExpert Kellen’s…
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The Importance of Process Mapping

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Cara Chatellier
Process mapping forms the basis of how business gets done on a daily basis as well as how the consumer-facing experience reflects those processes. Indeed, for a process to be a positive experience, it should be well-defined from beginning to end; and it all starts with mapping, refining, and codification.  Define the Sequence. For a task to be done efficiently and consistently, each step needs to be defined in a sequence of events that results in a defined goal. Mapping is the organization of how to arrive at a specific goal. Be it just starting your day on the “right foot,” or getting to the moon, it takes a schema of events that creates a chain of planned actions that reach a goal. There can be any number of schemas to reach the same goal. Mapping is the act of choosing the best path to a goal. The Critical Path.…
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Changing the World One Process Improvement at a Time

Posted By: 
Cara Chatellier
Changing the World One Process Improvement at a Time
Ron Emory is a Continuous Improvement Consultant, Author, and Entrepreneur, and we’re proud to have him on our team of MetaExperts. Ron was recently highlighted on Supply Chain Game Changer as a leader in the supply chain process improvement industry. One of the things that make Ron unique is his background. Ron has traveled the world doing what he loves. “I have flown over four million miles, been on every continent but Antarctica, stayed in a hotel nearly 3500 nights. So, I guess that qualifies me as a “road warrior” but it really has been a fun ride and fun life.” He went from permanent roles as VP of Supply Chain to VP of Operations to consulting to owning and operating his own business. Although he is a leading expert in process improvement, he doesn’t hold a degree in Industrial Engineering like many of his contemporaries. Ron holds a liberal…
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Brunno Streamlines Process, Yields Big Results

Posted By: 
Cara Chatellier
Process Improvement - Construction Heavy Duty Equipment Company
Situation MetaExpert Brunno employed his process improvement acumen to aid a construction heavy duty equipment company with inefficiencies in their paint shop production. The paint shop was experiencing a period of growth and needed to adjust operations to accommodate the increase in daily production with limited time and the existing shop-floor team. High level of diversity for the parts painted, using two colors. Actions Brunno carefully observed the paint shop process and initiated the following actions to increase productivity: Reorganized layout of paint equipment.Studied the best way to paint the parts in the paint booth, looking to match the color, the size, and the time spent to paint any one part. Mapped the flux of parts throughout the shift and streamlined their sequence. Brokedown paint sequence and elaborated on the process sheet.Trained the paint shop operators regarding the new process. Increased shift by 1 hour to reach the production goals without hiring additional…
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MetaExpert Alan Comes Through with Concrete Solutions for Quality Control

Posted By: 
Cara Chatellier
excavators construction quality control
Situation A building and construction company brought MetaExpert Alan onboard to help sort out operational and logistical inefficiencies regarding the construction of metal structures. The company was facing a 100% sorting and rework rate of their products after manufacturing. In addition, as a result of the focus on inspection after product completion, rather than during production, deliveries were delayed. Actions To remedy the construction company’s quality control issues and delivery delays, Alan took the following measures: Reviewed with the team all applicable specifications to ensure all employees understood the requirementsDeployed the requirements to Key Process Control Parameters, not just final quality controlDeveloped the processes to be robust according to the requirementsImplemented control plansAudited process parameters and key characteristics, not just final goods Results Through his initial assessment, Alan was able to determine that a lack of communication and too many “experts in the room” was a major contributor to the…
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Freight Driver Turnover: 10 Ways to Keep Drivers Happy — Guest Blog by Logistics MetaExpert Doug Sartain

Posted By: 
Patricia Linn
Doug Sartain
It’s important to keep your drivers happy and your fleet happy as this infographic about the high cost of employing (and losing) a truck driver shows. Here’s how I help fleets perform and maintain loyalty: Make the driver part of the solution, and not part of the problem. I ask drivers for their input on what the company can do better. When they have an idea, I run with it as long as it does not negatively affect a customer, company policy, cost control, safety etc. I always say, “I will let a driver win a battle as long as the company wins the war”. So even if I do not agree with the idea, I will implement it as long as it is not detrimental. If the idea works, I let everyone know which driver thought of it. You can never take credit for an idea that is not…
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You Are Not a Victim of Your Supply Chain Suppliers — Guest Blog by MetaExpert A.J. Tozzi

Posted By: 
Patricia Linn
Hands of a formally dressed man chained together
The biggest challenge I encounter in achieving supply chain excellence is that many organizations believe they are powerless when it comes to working with their suppliers.  The typical beliefs I encounter are: “we aren’t big enough to have any leverage”, “we can’t control what our suppliers do”, and “implementing a Lean supply chain will increase our costs”.  Interestingly, most organizations feel the same way toward managing their customers as well.  It is this victim mentality that prevents many companies from achieving operational excellence. The root cause of these limiting beliefs usually comes down to two critical factors: 1) not fully understanding what a Lean supply chain actually is, and 2) not understanding how to “sell it”, in other words, how to demonstrate how it will help the supplier to be more competitive and then use that as part of the negotiating process. To overcome these limiting beliefs, I focus on…
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Achieving Supply Chain Operational Excellence: The Roles of Communication and Accountability — Guest Blog by MetaExpert David Goodman

Posted By: 
Patricia Linn
businessman writing Supply Chain and drawing some sketches
My perspective is that obstacles to supply chain operational excellence occur in business when there is a lack of alignment between people’s measure of success.  In most organizations communication is a fundamental area that almost always requires work and improvement. In those undergoing significant change this comes to light and is amplified, creating confusion and other feelings that often get in the way of the improvement process.  Ensuring that the entire value stream is aligned and that ownership is established with a minimum of silos is critical to success in achieving operational excellence, not just improvements. I like to refer to what we most often experience in this regard as “islands of success in a sea of waste”.  Unless there is alignment which is often associated with Hoshin Kanri or Strategy Deployment, there will be a lot of good work that can go to waste because of the communication and…
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Executives, Here Are the Only 6 Things You Need to Know About Disruption to Be a Disruptor

Posted By: 
Patricia Linn
7 Stages of Becoming a Disruptor
The word disruption is so overused in business it threatens to become jargon which is never a positive fate for a term as important as this one. The people overusing the word and jargonizing it are usually using it wrong. If you understand what it means precisely, takes the following six points seriously to heart and do what you do best — much more aggressively — you can transform your organization into a disruptor. The Actual Definition of Disruption Disruption: something that changes the game entirely. In business, it’s a product or service that has a staggering effect on events, activities, processes, and people in a marketplace. It’s what happened to the world when regular people could buy cars, radios, televisions, VHS players, cell phones — commodities that changed the way we live our lives, and that we had never had before. It’s what happened when we could go online…
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