Companies that operate with a continuous improvement mind-set, frequently want to take a fresh-eyes look at their operations, equipment and systems.   For a recent project, Broadview Product Development supported a large, domestic bio-medical customer in assessing several aspects of their business.  Broadview was selected for their Engineering Value Analysis skills, their knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, and their Supply Chain assessment experience.   These qualities resulted in three distinct projects, all focused on time-bound, achievable deliverables.

1.      VA/VE Consulting Project

The Value Analysis/Value Engineering project focused on assessment of present and future devices with the goals of (1) reducing cost of goods sold and (2) recommending a device roadmap for company operations for the next 20 years.  With an aging fleet of devices and supplier contract negotiations approaching, the company wanted to consider new and innovative equipment to improve operations. 

First, Broadview participated in the development of device requirements and specifications.  Next, Broadview Engineers led workshops with suppliers to promote information flow and discussions that informed a large customer team.  Complicating factors such as material costs, labor efficiency, product optimization, regulatory approval, software compatibility and migration planning were aspects of the overall device assessments.

Utilizing visual aids as effective tools for mapping out complex problems, Broadview’s toolkit included (1) large visual schedules with movable tasks for flexible assessment of timelines, (2) product side-by-side Pugh charts with graphics and device specifications, and (3) device through-put analyses with calculations that illustrate how customer resources were best utilized.  These were co-developed with the customer team to generate discussion, drive future device recommendations and provide a kick-start for the implementation phase of the project.

2.      Lean Manufacturing

The second project was to evaluate the customer’s current manufacturing processes.  The customer was aware that their manufacturing operations were set up to support a laboratory environment (focus on lab results rather than material flow).  In addition, each facility had developed local best-practices.  These factors resulted in inconsistent and inefficient operations. 

Broadview helped the customer perform on-site time studies to help establish baseline process timing.  Broadview focused on Key Process Indicator (KPI) data, to analyze the best and worst performing operations and facilities.  Combined with a deep dive into manufacturing processes, material flow and facility layouts, the Broadview team generated a list of improvement proposals.  Broadview Engineers developed simulations to illustrate improvement proposals without having to physically change facilities or interrupt operations.  Recommendations were divided into three categories: (1) “right away” implement – such as 5S or material flow improvements, (2) “medium term” implement – such as semi-automation ideas or kitting simplification, (3) “long-term” implement – such as process changes that require regulatory approval.  The recommendations list, with accompanying support data, was shared on a regular cadence with the customer in preparation for the implementation phase.

3.      Business Continuity Planning

The third project focused on supplier manufacturing assessment and risk aversion.  The customer had experienced supply shortages that directly impacted operations and caused excessive burden to the customer’s operations staff. 

Broadview Engineers toured both domestic and international supplier manufacturing facilities.  Using Broadview-developed scorecards, current and prospective facilities were assessed.  The areas of focus were: (1) Quality systems, (2) Manufacturing operations at both plant and work-cell levels, (3) Supply chain and material management systems, (4) Risk and resilience assessment for each facility.  The output was a score that quantified supplier readiness and assessed supplier risk.

In the long term, these outputs can be maintained by the customer for ongoing assessments and help the customer develop supplier contract language that supports business continuity.