Operations Management

Across many aspects of a business, smaller symptoms of larger, big-picture problems can be elusive to identify. But Operations is the area that the symptoms of these problems become visible because this is the backbone of the business and where you incur the highest costs.  However, you must partner with a consulting partner that is able to find the true causes of the performance issue and not spend unnecessary time and cost just working on the symptoms of the problems. A key strength we have is finding the real source of the issues and maximizing improvement opportunities in these processes. Here is a rundown of some of the assessment and management tools in our arsenal.

• Process Reengineering – Analysis and restructuring of value-added processes to reduce waste, improve process yields, and improve quality and quantity of outputs.
• Product Design for Manufacturability – Design analysis of products to insure that excess costs are not designed into the products.
  • Design for Manufacturing of Products and Processes – Targets the creation of more-effective designs that reduce materials and overall production costs.
  • Value Engineering – Uses function/cost analysis tools to assess if product designs are driving unnecessary costs or that provide features, performance or quality improvement benefits that do not have customer value.
• Productivity Improvements – Reestablishes standards and methodically implements the following process improvements to maximize outputs for a given input:
  • Standards Development – Performs scientific analysis to determine processes and the time required for the completion of the processes.
  • Productivity Measurement Systems – Utilizes hourly output measurement processes to both establish expectations and manage outputs to higher levels of performance.
  • Overtime Management Disciplines – Creation of improved manpower management disciplines and overtime authorization processes to reduce unnecessary labor spending.
  • SMED – Single Minute Setup Systems – Process improvements tied to reducing non-value-adding setups, or related support processes, reducing these direct costs as well as supporting smaller run sizes used in JIT and Lean Manufacturing efforts.
  • Targeted Automation – Analysis of cost benefits of incremental automation concepts, creating an optimum approach for the process.
• Cost Reduction Programs – Targeted cost reduction efforts used to reset the cost basis of a business and includes the following approaches:
  • Overhead Cost Reduction Programs – Review of indirect labor and non bill-of-material or product-related spending to identify areas of cost reduction opportunities.
  • Quality Improvement Programs – Process and product improvement efforts tied to reducing scrap, rework, warranty, field service and other quality-oriented costs.
• Facility Planning – A broad-based process used to plan and implement facility changes and includes the following types of analysis:
  • Environmental Risk Analysis – Performed to determine environmental risks and associated costs associated with any layout changes and can include the preparation and acquiring of environmental permits.
  • Facility Layout Improvement Programs – Defines the specific layouts and program required to move or create the value-adding processes of a business.

We stand ready to help. Contact us to discuss possible solutions to your challenges.