A Network Without Expertise and Speed Is Useless
Is your plant consolidation failing? Manufacturing turnaround turned the wrong direction? Did the person who knew how to run this place walk out the door?
If so, your operations need help quickly. What if you could have an experienced manufacturing executive on site within days or even hours, not next quarter? The Tompkins Ventures Manufacturing Practice can have somebody putting out fires that fast. We just did that for a contract manufacturer.
In his first two days on site, the executive we placed got a handle on the operating environment and started developing the company’s turnaround plan.
Manufacturing companies with their hair on fire can’t wait. And a big network doesn’t necessarily indicate problem-solving ability. Four things do: spotting the real need, defining the expertise, calling in the right expert and getting that person on site “yesterday.”
The Tompkins Ventures Manufacturing Practice pairs that kind of expertise with more than 1,300 executives and operators.
Our executives span companies of every size – and their operational org charts. When a situation calls for real executive firepower, we have leaders who have run multibillion-dollar P&Ls at Fortune 500-sized companies. When it calls for someone who knows how a small or midsize plant runs, like the one in this story, we have them too. We also have expert tactical operators to do the arms and legs work, along with specialists in quality engineering, lab operations, industrial engineering, production planning and more.
Whatever your plant or operation needs, we can find that person and get them on site fast. Our people deliver results quickly – and they’ve done it for manufacturers across the country.
OEE Plunges When Experienced Manufacturing Operators Leave
This story starts with a Tompkins Ventures Business Partner. A trusted contact reached out, explaining that a contract manufacturer was in serious trouble. The company had consolidated two facilities into one site.
The company was known for producing high-quality products. But the plant consolidation cost the manufacturer a significant amount of operational knowledge and shop-floor capability. Production performance deteriorated, on-time delivery plummeted and order backlog grew. Frontline leaders were struggling to absorb the transferred operation and rebuild the lost operating knowledge.
Quality and rework problems increased. The company was facing growing pressure from key customers.
Our Business Partner spoke directly with the owner/CEO to figure out whether the problem was technical, leadership or execution. Turns out it was a combination of all three, and manufacturing operations were in grave danger.
One production area was running at roughly 40% OEE (overall equipment effectiveness, the share of planned production time that turns out good product at full speed). More established lines ran closer to 70% to 80%. The transferred production lines had lost much of their tribal knowledge. Inexperienced personnel needed an experienced manufacturing operator to provide strong floor-level leadership, training, accountability and execution.
Troubled Factory Consolidations Need an Expert, Not a Consultant
Many consultants probably would have tried to force a broader engagement or a full-scale operating system overhaul. Sometimes companies do need consultants, but Tompkins Ventures knows they often need something else instead.
In this case, our Business Partner connected with our Manufacturing Practice. During the first call on a Tuesday afternoon, Tompkins Ventures quickly decided what type of expertise matched the company’s factory consolidation problems. The teams discussed plant leadership, quality, continuous improvement, changeover and setup discipline, frontline supervision and whether the company needed one strong interim COO or a combination of resources.
The owner/CEO made clear that time was critical. He did not need a long consulting study or a stack of resumes. He needed someone experienced who could get onto the shop floor, understand the root causes, lead from the front, develop the supervisors, improve accountability and help stabilize the operation quickly.
The Business Partner stepped back, and the Manufacturing Practice went to work.
Multiple Candidates in Two Days
The Manufacturing Practice created a checklist based on the company’s situation. After the owner/CEO reviewed the checklist, the group met again.
By Wednesday morning, less than 24 hours after the first call, they finalized the criteria for an interim vice president of operations role. The ideal candidate could start quickly, sort out problems in short order and set manufacturing operations up for long-term success.
The owner/CEO had multiple candidates to review by Thursday. After more discussions, on Friday the CEO’s team picked the one they liked best, who lived in the region.
“Jack” showed up Monday.
Initially, the company’s senior leaders thought they would spend three days working with Jack. That warm-up period would give him time to figure out what was going on and for everybody to make sure it was a good fit.
In two days, company leaders decided they wanted Jack on board indefinitely.
Is Your Plant Consolidation in Trouble?
To recap: A trusted relationship came to Tompkins Ventures with an urgent business problem. We diagnosed what kind of help he really needed. We tapped the Tompkins Ventures ecosystem rather than trying to solve everything ourselves.
From there:
- Tuesday: The Manufacturing Practice had an initial meeting with the CEO.
- Wednesday morning: Tompkins Ventures, the CEO and a company vice president defined the requirements.
- Wednesday afternoon: The Manufacturing Practice began outreach to 50-plus qualified experts in the region.
- Thursday: Tompkins Ventures presented multiple candidates.
- Friday: The client selected the best-fit local resource.
- Monday: The expert was on site and working.
That’s four business days from the first conversation to an experienced resource starting at the plant.
Many plant consolidations fail. And speed matters when a factory is in trouble. A long study won’t fix a line running at 40% OEE. An experienced operator on the floor will.
The Business Partner in this case put it best. He told me: “This is a great example of the value of the Tompkins Ventures model. None of us needs to have every capability ourselves. The strength is being able to identify the problem, tap into the network and quickly bring the right expertise to the client.”
If your plant consolidation is struggling, your turnaround has stalled or somebody else hired your best operator, don’t wait. Tell me what’s happening on your floor. We’ll work out what kind of help you need, and our Manufacturing Practice can start looking for the right person the same day.
I’d rather hear from you now than after your customers leave for other options. Drop me a line.
Related Reading
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Jim Tompkins, Chairman and founder of Tompkins Ventures and Tompkins Solutions, is an international authority on designing and implementing end-to-end supply chains. Over five decades, he has designed countless industrial facilities and supply chain solutions, enhancing the growth of numerous companies. Jim earned his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University.