Success Stories: Florida MEP

Eastern Aero Machine of Miami is a 50-year old company that manufactures life vests and life rafts for the worldwide aircraft and marine industry.

Looking to improve inventory control, reduce lead times for product manufacturing and enhance customer satisfaction, Paul H. Streb, director of manufacturing at Eastern Aero called on the Florida MEP for some assistance with Time Wise Principles of Lean Manufacturing.

A Time Wise Value Stream Management System session was facilitated which resulted in a 71 percent reduction in inventory, a reduction in lead times and greatly improved customer services.

"We spent more than two years implementing Lean Manufacturing," Streb said, "and have easily reduced our inventory by $1.5 million."

Custom Windows needed to expand their facilities from one plant to two and wanted to do it in the most efficient, cost-effective manner possible.

In working with the Florida MEP, models were built and the Time Wise Principles of Lean Manufacturing were implemented.

When the baseline model was built in ProcessModel, the weekly output of 1,945 windows was being met at full-production capacity. After Lean Manufacturing and simulation modeling techniques were incorporated, the weekly output increased to 2,400 windows.

Even better, 2,000 feet of floor space has been saved for future expansion; and the 40-hour week will remain intact. And the employees will be utilized more efficiently, saving dollars, and increasing employee satisfaction.

Portions of this story have been excerpted from Simulation Success, a promotional publication of ProcessModel, Inc. Copyright 2001.

Edwards Manufacturing of Tampa has been a leading provider of custom point-of-sale and food handling equipment for the food retailing industry.

When Florida MEP initially worked with Edwards, it introduced the Time Wise Principles of Lean Manufacturing.

"Not only did we implement the basics of Lean Manufacturing, but my team developed a self-contained flow work cell to eliminate motion waste. I was impressed," said Ron Holland, vice president of operations.

"Putting Lean Manufacturing practices into place has been a great experience," Holland said. "Best of all, the results are measurable, impressive and our employees are involved and loving what has happened."

Factory throughput time for related products was reduced by 30 percent, production capacity was increased by 25 percent, product travel distance was reduced by 92 percent, and factory floor space requirements have been reduced by 25 percent.


Kaf-flex, a manufacturer of hoses for swimming pools and hot tubs "turned to the Florida MEP because I wanted to get an outsiders view on the company, our production lines and our manufacturing processes," said general manager, Scott Feldman.

"I decided the best way to solve our problems, including some structural issues within the company, was to get involved in the Time Wise Principles of Lean Manufacturing facilitated by Florida MEP," said Feldman.

Having identified and addressed several deficiencies and a significant improvement in the waste and scrap generated, there is now a system in place to improve the set-up, monitor the hose manufacturing and a way to measure how much scrap has been made and have it categorized.

"Thanks to the Lean Manufacturing, we expect to experience a considerable amount of savings in labor costs," said Feldman.


Winslow Life Raft, Co. is best known for manufacturing marine and aviation life rafts. The rafts are used by world-renowned sailing competitors, government agencies and Fortune 500 companies.

With help from the Florida MEP to facilitate Time Wise Principles of Lean Manufacturing, the Lake Suzy-based Winslow Life Raft gained a contract to service all life vests and evacuation slides for a major U.S. airline.

"Without the effort this company made to undergo a Lean transformation, it is unlikely we would have been able to win this contract and hire another 24 people for our company," said Allen Goldman, Winslow’s vice president of operations. "By undergoing the Lean Manufacturing process, we were able to free up several thousand square feet to service the airline’s vests and slides."

Goldman said the Lean Manufacturing process opened a new way of thinking for the people at Winslow. "It got us concentrating on a process flow analysis and value added manufacturing," he said. "It also got many of our employees involved in the process and helped them feel more a part of the company."

"In fact, in the past two months, suggestions have come from the bottom up that has resulted in savings for the entire company," added Goldman. "That thinking and action is a great bonus when it comes to the Lean Manufacturing process."


Pelican Wire Company, Inc., a small Naples manufacturer moved all of its operations from four locations into one centralized building. The moved was likened to moving four different people and all of their belongings into one apartment.

However, the manufacturer of custom insulated wire for a number of applications including use in military helicopters, Pelican Wire officials saw an opportunity to reassess how they conduct their manufacturing processes and look at ways to streamline operations while improving sales and saving money.

Working with the Florida MEP, staff and management conducted a Time Wise® Value Stream Management System session.

Vitarich Laboratories, has been a pioneer in the research, development and worldwide distribution of premium nutritional products.

When Vitarich became cGMP certified, the company experienced rapid growth. As the company expanded, they continued to need more space, which resulted in Vitarich’s operations being spread out among several buildings, creating workflow issues.

Vitarich’s executive vice president, Craig Waldinger brought in Florida MEP to introduce the Time Wise® Principles of Lean Manufacturing.

Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics National Fabrication Center in Orlando was recently recognized by the Manufacturers Association of Central Florida as Manufacturer of the Year.

One of the keys to Hanger’s Orlando National Fabrication Center winning this award is the success the center experienced as a result of implementing Time Wise Principle of Lean Manufacturing through a collaborative effort with the Florida MEP.

After educating the center’s employees on Lean Principles, the Florida MEP project manager worked in a collaborative effort to select two different orthotic production areas and map the flow of work from beginning to end of the production process.