The metrics, before and after

Challenge

A facility averaged more than 20 hours of emergency downtime per week. Maintenance was reactive, with crews firefighting breakdowns instead of preventing them, and work-order completion sat at 50%.

Approach

• Weekly maintenance planning meetings with clear priorities
• Preventive maintenance scheduling
• Work-order prioritization and tracking in D365
• Kanban inventory process for critical maintenance parts

Results

• Emergency downtime reduced from 20+ hours to under 5 hours per week
• Work-order completion rate improved from 50% to 90%
• Equipment reliability improved as the culture shifted from firefighting to planning

The facility gained back a full production shift’s worth of uptime every week, without new equipment or added headcount.

Challenge

A milling operation faced production bottlenecks that reduced throughput and limited its ability to serve customer demand.

Approach

Worked alongside engineering to redesign equipment layouts, improve product flow through the mill, and optimize the sifter system.

Results

• Flow rate increased from 350 cwt/hr to 450 cwt/hr, a 29% gain
• Production constraints removed without expanding the facility footprint
• Added capacity opened room for new sales

The added capacity came entirely from process changes, with no capital project.

Challenge

A packaging operation was underperforming and consistently failing to meet expected output levels.

Approach

• Time studies and workflow analysis to find where the day was actually going
• Waste elimination and bottleneck reduction
• Role standardization so every position had a clear, repeatable job
• Continuous improvement routines to hold the gains

Results

• Daily production increased from 13,500 to 15,500 bags, up 15%
• Labor utilization improved with no added headcount
• Bottleneck processes reduced

The gains held because they were built into roles and daily routines rather than driven by a one-time push.

Challenge

Multiple facilities were incurring excessive rail demurrage costs driven by inefficient railcar management and scheduling practices.

Approach

• Improved rail tracking processes and coordinated staging procedures
• Strategic carrier partnerships and storage optimization plans
• Tighter communication loops with rail providers

Results

• Demurrage costs cut by more than $100,000 annually
• Railcar unloading efficiency up, contractor costs down
• Greater transportation flexibility across the network

Challenge

A manufacturing facility struggled to sustain a strong safety culture. Safety performance was inconsistent and employee engagement lacked momentum.

Approach

• Weekly safety meetings and stand-downs following incidents
• Leadership presence on the production floor, every day
• Safety-focused engagement activities
• Accountability built through continuous communication and coaching

Results

• 3,000 consecutive days without a lost-time incident
• Employee engagement scores up 11 points
• Facility ranked 2nd out of 43 locations for engagement

The workforce came to own the safety program, and that ownership is what has sustained the record.

Challenge

A production facility was losing money to an inaccurate dosing system. Excess ingredient was going into every load, invisible in the day-to-day numbers.

Approach

Replaced a dosing-wheel feeder with a weight-based ingredient distribution system, then analyzed actual usage patterns against spec.

Results

• Identified roughly 1,200 grams of overuse per load
• Ingredient purchases reduced by 5 pallets per quarter
• Approximately $15,000 in savings every quarter
• Tighter process accuracy and inventory control