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Time Wise® Success Stories
The following is a Lean Case Study from our MEP MSI-managed family of Manufacturing Extension Partnerships (MEPs) that demonstrates the impact of the Time Wise® Management Systems’ Lean transformation methodology deployed through Time Wise® Solutions training products.
Miami, FL - Eastern Aero Marine of Miami recently called on the assistance of the Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Florida MEP) to improve inventory control, reduce lead times for product manufacturing and enhance customer satisfaction.
The request met with complete success, according to Paul H. Streb, director of manufacturing operations for Eastern Aero Marine, a 50 year-old company that manufactures life vests and life rafts for the worldwide aircraft and marine industry.
The Florida MEP project managers facilitated a Time Wise Value Stream Management System (TWMS) mapping session which resulted in a 71 percent reduction in inventory, a reduction in lead times and greatly improved customer services.
Streb said MEP’s VSMS involved interviewing the purchasing, materials and manufacturing managers, along with himself. The map provided important material and information flow that laid the groundwork for the recommendations that were implemented. At the same time, Eastern Aero was introduced to the Time Wise Principles of Lean Manufacturing.
"We spent more than two years implementing Lean practices," Streb said, "and have easily reduced our inventory by $1.5 million. That’s real savings when you consider what it costs to keep excess inventory on the shelf."
But Streb did much more than that. He ensured his managers, chief engineer and purchasing manager were all up to date on Lean Manufacturing. "I want the thought process to be uniform and parallel," he said. "That way, we don’t have to stop and explain what’s going on all the time."
Streb said quality is a huge issue for the 145 employees of Eastern Aero Marine. "When you make life vests and rafts there is no room for error," he said. "Obviously high quality has always been important to us or we would not have been in business for 50 years, but the trick was to reduce our costs and improve our profit margin without compromising our quality."
"The VSMS allowed us to do just that," Streb added. "It also allowed us to reduce lead time, improve our shipping time and added to our overall customer satisfaction."
In fact, according to Streb, in addition to the reduction in inventory, Point of Use Storage eliminated the need for a mezzanine warehouse, saved at least two days of material movement, removed redundant approvals and shortened lead times by 10 days - all resulting in tremendous savings for the company.
The Lean success story you have just read is an actual case study from one of our MEP MSI-managed state MEP centers. Our affiliate MEPs utilize the Time Wise® Management Systems’ Lean transformation methodology based on world class Time Wise® Solutions training products. MSI-managed MEP center project managers are vetted and trained at the Time Wise® Institute and receive access to a full suite of integrated Time Wise® products.
Our certified Lean-trained project implementation facilitators work with a company's management team to identify conditions that impede the ability to become more competitive and prosperous. During intensive hands-on training sessions with employees at all levels of the organization, our certified Time Wise® MEP specialists solve specific problems from the shop floor to the front office and assess how well each department contributes to overall productivity and profitability. Essential tools are furnished to optimize performance and provide guidance so that companies can use those tools and systems effectively on their own to sustain the improvement process.
Since our MEP affiliates have begun utilizing the Time Wise® Solutions suite of products, their performance has increased significantly. Just a fraction of the accomplishments of our affiliate state MEP centers have been reported on our web site. Click here to read additional success stories.
To learn more about Time Wise® Solutions products or to join the Time Wise® Management Systems team of MEP Centers, please call 1-866-USA-MADE (1-866-872-6233) or email us at: info@timewisems.com.
Our certified Lean-trained project implementation facilitators work with a company's management team to identify conditions that impede the ability to become more competitive and prosperous. During intensive hands-on training sessions with employees at all levels of the organization, our certified Time Wise® MEP specialists solve specific problems from the shop floor to the front office and assess how well each department contributes to overall productivity and profitability. Essential tools are furnished to optimize performance and provide guidance so that companies can use those tools and systems effectively on their own to sustain the improvement process.
Since our MEP affiliates have begun utilizing the Time Wise® Solutions suite of products, their performance has increased significantly. Just a fraction of the accomplishments of our affiliate state MEP centers have been reported on our web site. Click here to read additional success stories.
To learn more about Time Wise® Solutions products or to join the Time Wise® Management Systems team of MEP Centers, please call 1-866-USA-MADE (1-866-872-6233) or email us at: info@timewisems.com.