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.
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.
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.
* We take our clients' confidentiality seriously. While we've changed their names, the results are real.