The Situation
FoodCo* was losing market share to strong competitors and suffering from slowing growth in primary channels. To remain competitive, the client had to:
- Improve manufacturing facilities to reduce cost and increase capacity, and
- Invest in innovations needed for growth and competitiveness
The client asked Bain to address the following key questions:
- Can capacity be increased in existing plants? How much, and where?
- Can cost per ton be reduced on existing lines?
- Can enough cash be freed up from operations to fund investments in innovation?
Our Approach
Bain incorporated Six Sigma DMAIC methodology and Lean principles into our four-step approach to improve FoodCo's plant performance.
![](/contentassets/73bb9aa35a0f45d0928ee58e8b691e76/id_485_2.gif)
Our Recommendations
Bain identified 45 initiatives and prioritized them according to improvements to plant capacity and overall equipment effectiveness. Of these, Bain recommended six as the most critical initiatives.
![](/contentassets/73bb9aa35a0f45d0928ee58e8b691e76/id_485_3.gif)
The Results
With Bain's support, FoodCo implemented the recommended initiatives, generating 15% cost savings and increased flexibility. The company also worked with Bain to put knowledge transfer programs in place so that the improvements would spread to additional plants in the system.
![](/contentassets/73bb9aa35a0f45d0928ee58e8b691e76/id_485_4.gif)
* We take our clients' confidentiality seriously. While we've changed their names, the results are real.