Asset Utilization is an approach in which we assess the effectiveness of the maintenance strategy and the efficacy with which it is being deployed. It is not uncommon for us to find over-spend, too many touches, and neglected equipment on the same site. In order to identify these opportunities to better deploy your maintenance spend we deeply evaluate the current processes against our best practices template. The gaps rapidly identified with your people through this process are prioritized and fed into a timed game plan for effecting the needed systemic changes. Broadly speaking, you will be left with the ability to Predict Asset Health, Identify the Right Work at the Right Time, and Effectively Execute the Work.

Productivity improvements are fundamentally achieved through the reduction and/or elimination of process steps that are considered waste and do not add value to the client’s product/process. These are activities customers would be unwilling to pay for such as rework, excessive handling, or delay that can be categorized as one of the 7 wastes. We design and develop a comprehensive Management Operating System (MOS) with all levels of the organization engaged to ensure an effective continuous improvement process will perpetuate. The MOS incorporates operating metrics such as Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) to eliminate waste. OEE % measures equipment availability, operational performance against a theoretical maximum and quality of production so that a total comprehensive scorecard can be utilized to analyze the specific reasons for lost productivity at any work center. Our inclusive employee engagement processes identify areas of weakness and target specific solutions.

Capacity Rationalization & Consolidation is an approach which recognizes that in a corporate setting there is no shortage of divergent perspectives and their accompanying visions. Those perspectives become tremendously valuable when applied in an objective way against an agreed set of criteria. In the absence of that objective criteria, the divergent perspectives can become paralyzing. To overcome the paralysis we have developed a Decision Scoring Model Framework that takes into consideration many potential variables that are tailored to our client’s situation. The typical objective of the USCCG decision-making framework is to generate and rationalize the production capacity requirements necessary to support global growth targets for at least a 3 to 5 year period of time.

Cost of poor quality (COPQ) resulting from processes not performing to standard for many organizations across various industries can be significant. Inadequate product/service designs, low yields, high levels of rework and scrap, low equipment utilization, long cycle times, high level of inspections and customer failure rates can add up to millions of dollars on an annual basis. The damage to your reputation from perceived poor quality can even be more costly.

USCCG customizes and delivers problem-solving solutions and approaches to improve quality across all business sectors and functional areas. We work side-by-side with select personnel to provide the training, tools and coaching required to improve quality and reinforce behaviors to reduce COPQ.

CAPEX Control is necessary in order to maximize the impact of precious Capital funds. We have developed a CAPEX Management Operating System (CMOS) to provide the foundational structures and disciplines to reduce the number of unbudgeted projects, elevate cost consciousness to reduce the exposure to unproductive spend, and increase the number of projects with a value proposition. The tools and processes within the CMOS are designed to actively manage Capital Expenses toward those objectives. The specific tools, procedures, practices, and disciplines are tuned to the needs of our client’s business and the nature of the resources they have to deploy. Over a series of several weeks these configurations can be made. Full implementation however requires a number of months in order to get well practiced in using the CMOS.

Efficiency Improvement can be gained in any process. The difficulty is that the people that need to generate the efficiency gains are usually the people that are closest to it. It is VERY difficult to objectively look at the things you are comfortably doing now and identify how to do them even better. The path to change is to objectively illustrate the current processes with the Process Owners themselves. We then stand back and examine this full-size illustration with those same Process Owners to identify the waste. We brainstorm with them the corrective actions that would be required to eliminate that waste. With the Process Owners we then walk the people that feed the process and the people that consume the process through the illustration. This routinely identifies additional waste and more/better corrective actions that can be taken. Finally, we assist the Process Owners in leading the Managers through the process to ensure that the design for the ‘new and improved’ process is indeed both.

SKU Rationalization is a collaborative and analytical process we use with our clients that takes a zero-based look at the products they produce in order to identify which of them are meeting cost and profitability targets and which are not. Those products become candidates for rationalization. These under-performing products reduce a company’s overall supply chain performance. Having an excessive number of under-performing SKU’s creates unnecessary planning complexities, results in production inefficiencies, and creates additional inventory that must be warehoused.

Supply Chain Optimization is a complex process in which we must engage virtually every operational department within an organization. It encompasses the planning and management of all activities involved in sourcing and procurement, conversion, and all logistics management activities. Importantly, it also includes coordination and collaboration with channel partners; which can be suppliers, intermediaries, third-party service providers, and customers. We deploy our powerful set of Value Stream Analysis tools and techniques to illustrate current procedures, practices and disciplines and to identify with our clients impactful gaps that must be filled. From those efforts we typically launch corrective action teams to design and implement solutions for gaps.

Managing material conversion through a thorough and structured Yield Loss Recovery process is critical to an organization where raw materials and components can account for 50 to 90% of the Cost of Goods Sold. A zero based yield loss approach is essential to identify and classifiy all sources of material loss in order to understand the magnitude and relative cost of material by loss point. Identification and quantification of all processing, material, and packaging loss points begins the journey towards recovery. Yield loss can appear in multiple forms such as product giveaway, higher cost material substitution, over processing resulting in downgrades or excess ingredients being added, and material changeover losses where reworked material, scrap, or templates could be used in its place. Creating visibility to all losses, and prioritizing correct actions based upon the losses with the greatest financial impact to the organization.