"KMC brought a fresh perspective that has been vital to me and my team -- and their approach to driving change was just right for our environment. What we put in place together is still part of the core of how we manage today – not only because it works, but because they made sure it fit for us, so we would 'own' it and continue to use it over the long term."
— Henning Rader, President Monoflo International
Challenge:
A producer of transport packaging was outgrowing its processes and results were suffering. This company experienced a host of 'trapped value' symptoms: constant production delays, a 'get it done' approach that masked gaps in planning and process efficiency, and a top-down culture that the leadership team sensed was holding the company back. The team knew they had to improve on a range of operational and managerial dimensions, but where and how to get started?
Solution:
KMC began where our client was feeling the most 'pain' – in the process business element. Working with the team, we helped define a range of changes necessary to address the initial symptoms. But there was more. Together we determined that some core issues were rooted in a lack of alignment to an overall strategy. We developed a new multi-year Strategic Plan to prioritize customer segments and sequence long-term and short-term projects – including a practical quantification for where to focus to improve margins. All this work became a platform for developing cultural change across the extended leadership team, aimed at enabling better overall performance as a group.
Challenge:
The leadership team began to see a tangible impact immediately. A new customer-profitability analysis armed them to enhance both price realization and margins. Productivity improved as well -- key “per employee” efficiency metrics went up significantly, even as growth in sales volume increased more than 60%. Overall profitability was stronger than ever. By the end of the first year with the changes in place, these benefits delivered a return on the project costs of more than 4:1.
