Innovation Program Success Story

Flotation Technologies, Inc. Testimonial
“Company goes with the Flow by Going Lean”

A world leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of deepwater buoyancy systems using high-strength Flotec™ syntactic foam and polyurethane elastomer products, Flotation Technologies, Inc. provides products for the offshore oil. The world’s largest manufacturer of oceanographic subsurface buoys for current meter studies and global climate change research, the company also provides products for underwater robotic vehicles and offshore production and drilling.

Although Flotation Technologies has only a few competitors in the world, they have large competitors and it is difficult to compete on a cost basis alone. The company recognized that it needed to reduce its lead time by speeding up the process of providing quotes and flowing the product through the plant.

In order to accomplish this objective, Flotation Technologies partnered with Time Wise Management Systems (TWMS) and Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Maine MEP). The project team identified the need for a workforce development plan and a strategic business plan. Through the workforce development plan, the company targeted specific individuals in all areas of the company that would participate in H-1B High Skills Training program funded by the US Department of Labor and administered by the Coastal Counties Workforce Board. The Lean training helped the company respond better to customer needs, cut out many steps our of the various processes, put out twice the number of quotes in the same amount of time, and reduce the engineering-to-sales processing cycle by 30 percent.

Subsequently, Flotation Technologies’ sales doubled in 2006, 14 additional employees were hired, and they recently moved into a 45,000 square foot facility, more than doubling their work space.

“The understanding of Lean principles has allowed us to optimize the layout of our new plant,” said Tim Cook, President of Flotation Technologies. “We have plenty of room for growth and will continue to build on our successes as we move forward.”