IMEG was hired by a Virginia based Light Pole & Flag Pole Manufacturer to identify improvements within their sales and customer service processes, to shorten lead times.
THE PROBLEM
Long lead times for ordering light poles
Several steps and handoffs in the process of entering a sales order
Communication through paper and physical delivery
Initial information supplied was missing key details and required additional time to acquire
THE PLAN
Interview employees in the sales and customer service processes to gather information for a current value stream map
Develop a current state value stream map to understand the information flow and identify waste in the process
Kaizen the current process to develop actions for a future state map
Develop the future state map and list of actions to execute
THE RESULTS
A future state map with fewer steps and improved information handoffs to be executed in three phases
Reduction of process lead-time by 50-75% depending on product and customer variation
Work instructions to improve transaction efficiency and quality
Training modules to educate team on products to improve quality of information delivered for orders
