Lean Training and Kaizen Pilot Successes as a Result of Business Assessment Findings
Company Profile
In 1994, Lenny Lipari, Craig Landry, and Nancy Landry opened a small shop in the heart of Southern Louisiana. Action Specialties has since grown to be one of the nation’s top Advertising Specialty institutions with both a local and international base of satisfied customers. Today, Action Specialties has laid its roots in New Iberia, Louisiana, a small city known for its rich heritage and southern hospitality. The company’s workforce is now comprised of 50+ employees, operating from a 40,000 square-foot facility that they now call home. Under one roof, Action Specialties has all the equipment and expertise to help catch the eyes of the customers you want to reach. Their production floor is home to industry-leading professionals and cutting-edge machinery, equipment, and supplies. From high-speed, wide-format printers, automatic, brilliant-color screen printers, to 100+ monogramming heads, Action Specialties has the tools and expertise to fulfill and complete any job. Service is their specialty, and the utmost quality is their standard. No matter what industry, Action Specialties has what it takes to see a project from start to finish. Discover why their motto is "WE CAN DO THAT".
Situation
Action Specialties’ Production Manager Michael Lipari reached out to the LCTCS MEP of LA for a Business Assessment. During the assessment, the LCTCS MEP of LA team learned the company was experiencing low turnover, they lacked a structured process improvement program, and needed to better embrace safety culture.
Solution
Based off of the results from the Business Assessment, LCTCS MEP of LA Project Managers recommended a Lean 101 training for the Action Specialties staff as a first step toward addressing process improvement. During the training lead by LCTCS MEP of LA Project Managers, Baxter Saucier and Wynn Landry, twelve students received a combination of lecture and simulation to learn and apply the basics of lean manufacturing. After the Lean 101 training, LCTCS MEP of LA Project Managers recommended Action Specialties to undergo a Lean/Kaizen Pilot Program. This multi-day event was conducted as a hands-on 5S / workplace organization / visual controls / process mapping implementation exercise in the shipping and receiving area. Once the Action Specialties team completed the Lean/Kaizen exercise, LCTCS MEP of LA team members captured future state action items and had a closing meeting with management to discuss opportunities and a Lean pathway for the future.
“Working with Baxter Saucier and Wynn Landry through Lean 101 and the kaizen program has added great value to our company. We are working leaner and producing more products with the best quality and service in the industry.”
—Michael Lipari, Production Manager
Results
As a result, the improvements made by the LCTCS MEP of LA helped the company grow annual revenue significantly.
Cost savings
Increased/retained jobs
Increase in New Products
Increase in Equipment
Investment in IT
Savings on Investments