Private Equity Firm Harvests Investment in Food Company

We began this assignment by looking to the employees themselves for solutions.  We solicited feedback from staff at all levels and functions.  This resulted in a decision to focus on the frozen dinner lines, which accounted for the most material usage and represented the greatest potential for capacity expansion.

We helped the client to map the production process from end to end.  Leading causes of capacity erosion were identified and attacked. Loss points were illustrated and targeted for reduction. Equipment settings were reviewed and optimal run parameters established. Management systems were developed and implemented to provide enhanced shop floor control, throughput, and yield management.

Next, to optimize the internal product flow to the production lines, the joint USCCG / client team examined the meat tumbling, tubing, cooking, and dicing lines. And, for the chicken entrees, they began working in cut-up, forming and frying operations. In each instance non value-added activities were identified and eliminated, processes streamlined, and key performance metrics defined and conspicuously displayed at the point of execution.

Not too long into the engagement, the company’s chief operating officer said he “was amazed how quickly the plant had begun to turn around once the proper focus and structure was created in the facility.”

Asset utilization and material yields were improved, and labor savings captured, through installation of a time-phased, capacity-balanced planning and scheduling system. Maintenance routines were scrutinized and, where needed, reorganized to minimize planned downtime. Productivity was further enhanced by implementing aggressive startup/shut down, changeover, and sanitation techniques.