Hilliard Corporation
“AMT has helped us over the past 12 months with Lean Enterprise and ISO9001 certification. We are extremely satisfied with AMT’s services and expertise. I expect the investment we are making today will serve us very well not only in the near term but well into the future. Lean Thinking has reframed the way we think and make decisions.”
— Gene Ebbrecht, President
RESULTS
- Reduction of inventory of over $2.5 million dollars
- $430,000 in Cost Savings
- $395,000 New Investments
- Improved communication between employees and management
COMPANY:
The Hilliard Corporation, located in Elmira, NY, was founded in 1905. It employs approximately 610 people at three manufacturing sites. Hilliard manufactures motion control products, oil filtration and reclaiming equipment, starters for industrial gas, diesel engines and gas turbines, and plate and frame filter presses used in the food and beverage industry.
SITUATION:
Hilliard began an effort to maintain its competitive edge and be in position to grow successfully in the future, focusing on Lean Enterprise and Quality Management as the major elements of the improvement journey. Early in the process, Hilliard decided to seek outside help to act as its Lean and QMS mentor to encourage the organization, and to provide unbiased on-going advice and coaching.
SOLUTION:
Hilliard contracted AM&T to assist in these efforts, starting with Lean Enterprise. AM&T helped Hilliard layout a Lean roadmap and provided consulting support throughout the effort. AM&T provided training in Lean Enterprise Concepts for the workforce at the company’s facility. The training combined lecture and hands-on manufacturing simulation to illustrate the impacts of implementing Lean concepts on a simple manufacturing process. Additional training and event facilitation was provided in Value Stream Mapping (VSM), which was used to map out Hilliard’s primary value streams. Rapid Improvement Events and other workshops were conducted over an eighteen month period to address specific issues and non-value added activities.
In addition, AM&T applied ISO 9001 expertise to guide Hilliard in preparing compliant Quality Management System documentation. AM&T reviewed its existing QMS documentation for ISO compliance and provided detailed feedback regarding changes necessary to meet the ISO requirements. Hilliard incorporated AM&T’s feedback and was successfully assessed by an ANAB Registrar. The Hilliard Corporation received ISO 9001 certification in April 2013.
