Fort Knox Safes

How process optimization helped Fort Knox

PROCESS IMPROVEMENTPROCESS OPTIMIZATION

John Marett

2/7/20232 min read

Safe manufacturing companies play a critical role in providing people with the security they need to protect their valuables and assets. Despite the importance of their work, safe manufacturing companies often face numerous challenges, including long lead times, high operating costs, and low productivity. To overcome these challenges, many companies seek process improvement help to improve their manufacturing processes, as well as office and administrative processes. In this post, we will explore the journey Fort Knox and their journey in receiving process optimization help and the specific struggles and solutions they experienced.

  1. The Journey Begins: Fort Knox was facing numerous challenges, including a lengthy lead time for production, high costs of raw materials, and low productivity due to inefficiencies in their office and administrative processes. The company's management team realized that they needed help to improve their processes and make their business more efficient and competitive.

  2. Receiving Process Improvement Help: Fort Knox decided to seek help from Meadow Stone Consulting. Meadow Stone conducted a thorough analysis of the company's processes, identifying areas of improvement and developing a customized improvement plan.

  3. Improving Manufacturing Processes: One of the main areas of improvement identified by Meadow Stone was the company's manufacturing processes, specifically around their sheet rock processes. A special type of sheet rock is used by Fort Knox to give their safes thermal protection. Meadow Stone worked with Fort Knox to streamline production and reduce waste, introducing new tools and technologies to automate and optimize operations. One of the main ways this was accomplished was by optimizing their cutting processes. We were able to use more out of each sheet, and reduce the amount of time each cut took. Trainings were conducted to employees on the new process, and they also received training on lean manufacturing techniques, which helped them to identify and eliminate inefficiencies in their processes on their own.

  4. Improving Office and Administrative Processes: Another area of improvement identified was the company's office and administrative processes. Meadow Stone worked with the company to improve communication and collaboration between departments, introducing new tools and technologies to streamline operations and reduce waste. Fort Knox also received training on effective project management techniques, which helped them to better manage their resources and complete projects on time and within budget.

  5. The Benefits: The process improvement efforts paid off quickly, and Fort Knox began to see the benefits almost immediately. Lead times were reduced, operating costs were reduced, and productivity increased. This allowed the company to increase its competitiveness, win more business, and grow its market share.

  6. Continuous Improvement: Fort Knox's management team realized that process improvement is an ongoing journey, not a one-time event. They work with Meadow Stoneto identify new areas for improvement and continuously improve their processes. This allowed the company to maintain its competitive edge and continue to grow.

In conclusion, manufacturing companies can benefit greatly from receiving process improvement help. By working with a consultant to analyze and improve their manufacturing processes, as well as their office and administrative processes, companies can increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve product quality. This can lead to increased competitiveness and growth.

FtKnox.com

Contact Fort Knox