Time Wise Case Studies

Case Study: One of the largest US packaging companies selected Time Wise® Lean training simulations to teach their workforce Lean principles, using them as the foundation for continuous improvement activities and to support the formation of dozens of Kaizen Rapid Improvement Event Teams. Within 90 days the company recognized the value of licensing the simulation to train every company employee in Lean principles. To-date more than 3,000 employees at 11 facilities have participated in Lean training via Time Wise simulation techniques.

Case Study: P.J. Noyes, is a contract manufacturing and packaging company in New Hampshire. Their challenge was quick changeovers to meet demanding schedules with multiple clients and multiple products. Following Lean training and a Value Stream Mapping event, P.J. Noyes conducted a Kaizen event utilizing the Time Wise Kaizen tools and trained facilitators. The team targeted activities to make small improvements that could result in large productivity gains. Within one week of the Kaizen event, one line in the Liquid Packaging area went from producing 6,900 units per shift to 12,800 units per shift. A Quick Change-Over Kaizen was also conducted which resulted in new procedures.

“Because of all these improvements, production in Liquid Packaging has doubled and sales have increased. The team is keeping up with demand while increasing capacity to meet new challenges and has even added new customers,” says Vice President Dennis Wogaman. “Not only has it given us great results, it has provided a lot of laughter along the way. My personal fulfillment was watching people become believers in what they can do by setting lofty goals and achieving them.”

Case Study: A $4 billion division of a defense OEM selected Time Wise to design and deploy a division-wide supplier improvement program focused on companies in the precision engineering and electronic fabrication and assembly sectors. Over a four-year period, over 200 companies were assessed and tailored Lean training and consulting programs deployed to help the customer build their “supply chain of tomorrow”. Within 18 months, over 75% of participating companies achieved “preferred supplier ratings” and the aggregate savings reported exceeded $300 million.

Case Study: The US Navy recognizes the need to align the supply chain’s performance on major acquisition programs as first tier suppliers are tasked with systems design and integration responsibilities. Working closely with the Office of Naval Research, prime OEMs and key value-added partners, Time Wise consultants led tailored Lean consulting engagements focused on accelerating the speed to value on a number of critical business cases that supported the on-time/on-budget delivery of vital military assets. Over a four year period, two shipyard programs working with 23 suppliers of critical engineered components procurement reported savings in excess of $55 million; accelerated delivery schedules were designed and achieved; and in situ assembly fabrication/assembly programs were crafted to eliminate redundant inspection and test and evaluation protocols.

Case Study: A diversified consumer products company decided to develop an internal group of Lean consultants to guide an enterprise-wide initiative of Lean training and continuous improvement program. Time Wise was selected to train and mentor the fledgling Lean manager staff. The company first used the Time Wise Principles of Lean Manufacturing simulation to educate the workforce in how Lean is used to reduce cost, improve product delivery, eliminate quality escapes and strengthen supplier relationships. Time Wise then mentored the company’s Lean managers through the implementation of more than two dozen Lean implementation events focused on set-up reduction, cellular manufacturing, inventory reduction and supplier alignments. Over a three-year period, the company reports a 33% reduction in total lead time; over 55% reduction in product line change over time; and improved its inventory turns by 40%.

Case Study: A Fortune 200 diversified manufacturing company selected Time Wise to deploy a supply chain improvement program to align the performance of companies providing information and communication technologies to both the military and civilian markets. Improper interpretation of technical specifications by suppliers led to missed supplier delivery deadlines resulting in 45 or more days of production delays by the OEM. Working with 18 key suppliers, Time Wise provided teams to map each unique scenario and devise corrective actions to remediate all supplier delays in less than three months. The OEM reported savings in excess of $58 million and avoided several million dollars in contract performance penalties.

Case Study: A biotechnology firm with global operations identified Time Wise and its simulation training products as the ideal workforce entry point for establishing a foundation and culture of using Lean in every aspect of its operation. To date, over 400 employees have participated in Lean training and leveraged their new skills to improve product flow, reduce inventory, create manufacturing cells, improve manufacturing and packaging turnaround time. The company was able to reinvest the resulting savings of more than $7 million in new capital equipment.