In general the reporters for local newspapers put out an incredible amount of copy on tight deadlines for fairly low pay. I have nothing but admiration for the work they do. When it comes to telling stories about companies that adopt lean business methodologies, such reporters frequently become lost in Japanese jargon and generalities about waste-elimination. That’s not to say that reporters from the national daily papers like The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal do a much better job.
That said, Lynne Hendricks from The Daily News of Newburyport, Mass., does a decent job of turning a press event into a story with some real lean insights, Local company a model for staying competitive the ‘lean’ way. The beneficiary of some funding ($111,000) for training from long-time lean champion Mass-MEP, ARC Technologies Inc. has improved quality (reduced non-conformances by 13%), and increased on-time delivery by 18%.
For a company that manufactures microwave-absorbent materials for the commercial and defense industry, that’s meant an increase in competitiveness by taking simple steps to increase the efficiency of its testing procedures, decrease “touch time” to limit the chances the product could be compromised and decrease the amount of scrap it produces at its manufacturing plant.
Such results have been apparently been noticed by ARC’s customers. The company’s v.p. of production connects the results of their lean efforts to a 16% growth in business.
DO YOU HAVE A LEAN ROI STORY TO SHARE?
Increased profit margins, better cash flow, improved return on invested capital (ROIC), sales growth, market share growth. Please let me know (david@leanroi.org) if you have made a direct connection between the process and efficiency improvements resulting from your lean efforts and your income or cash flow statements. We’d love to share your story.
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