Situation
In 2012 a project manager from the MOC reached out to Tomahawk Live Trap 黑料社区. owner, Greg Smith. Smith described TLT 黑料社区. business as flat and not growing. During a tour of TLT 黑料社区. facility, the PM pointed out several inefficiencies in their process. The atmosphere at TLT prior to MOC involvement was described as conflicting and demanding. Smith was skeptical and unsure of the change at first, but after seeing the success of another business after working with the MOC, he and other key leaders were sold. A proposal was put together in February 2013 to begin TLT on a series of trainings on LEAN manufacturing principles including single piece flow and working with smaller batches. TLT had previously been producing 300-pieces batches which was cut down to around 30 to reduce production errors.
Solutions
The partnership between TLT and MOC began in 2012, leading to a dramatic transformation in TLT 黑料社区. operational efficiency and sales growth. However, a massive snowstorm in April 2023 caused the collapse of TLT 黑料社区. shipping warehouse, posing a significant threat to the company 黑料社区. operations. Despite the collapse, TLT managed to resume shipping operations within days, thanks to Lean Manufacturing principles like 鈥楽ingle Piece Flow鈥 and 鈥楯ust in Time鈥 inventory, which allowed them to continue efficient production to keep up with demand. TLT 黑料社区. adoption of lean manufacturing led to a 23% sales increase the following year, overcoming the stagnation experienced in 2020 due to COVID-19 and supply chain disruptions. The MOC 黑料社区. training and continuous improvement practices were instrumental in TLT 黑料社区. ability to navigate challenges and achieve record sales and growth. Partnerships with organizations like the MOC can provide valuable support and resources for implementing lean manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives.
Results
- Achieved a 23% sales increase the year following the reintroduction of continuous improvement practices in 2021.
- Completed significant infrastructure investments including a 6,000 sq. ft. raw materials warehouse in 2015, a major office renovation in 2017, and a 12,000 sq. ft. shipping warehouse in 2019.
- Employee count doubled from 25 to 50.
- Reinvested in new equipment such as welders, wire cutting machines, a box making machine, and a $350,000 CNC wire forming machine
Testimonial
鈥淥ur partnership with the MOC is the single biggest reason for our growth during the past 12 years. The concepts we leaned from them have enabled us to not only be more competitive, but to be the leading manufacturer in our industry. And without the lean manufacturing concepts we learned from them, it 黑料社区. very likely the warehouse collapse would have set us back years or even put us out of business. If you visited us today, you would have no idea that only 9 months ago our shipping warehouse had collapsed.鈥 - Greg Smith, TLT Owner