- $500K Cost savings
- $240K Retained sales
- 2 New job hires
- Safer workplace
- Improved customer-flow
- Improved employee morale
- Audit/System maintenance
South Post Oak Recycling Center (SPORC) has been serving Houston as a family run business for over 25 years. During this time their focus has been on buying and recycling metals in an environmentally responsible manner while maintaining an efficient, competitive and reliable process for its valued and loyal customers.
The Situation
Ever seeking to improve, in 2019, SPORC management was looking to streamline their process in order to create a competitive advantage for their recycling center. Their own internal efforts had not built the framework needed for sustainable change, so a decision was made to bring in TMAC-GC to help lead the way.
The Solution
A strong and continuous commitment from leadership would be essential for success. The shared challenges of budget and time also needed to be factored into the equation. After assessing SPORC’s work environment and processes, TMAC-GC developed a customized plan for improving workplace efficiency. 5S training for management and key employees would lay a critical foundation for all future improvements. Once instituted, the 5S strategies would result in a lean work environment with proper customer-flow. Safety risks would be minimized and an auditing process could be established to help maintain the improvements. As a proven, hands-on assistance provider, TMAC-GC planned to work collaboratively with both management and employees to ensure optimal results.
The Results
An off-peak season in 2019 presented the perfect time for TMAC-GC to schedule several mini-Kaizen events at SPORC. Each initially focused on a specific work area with the ultimate goal being to optimize the entire center. The full commitment of management and the willingness of employees to accept change were key contributing factors to the success of this endeavor. The tailor-made plan resulted in noticeable improvement in several areas:
Lean organization– Creating a lean, clean work environment in which to maneuver for both employees and customers helped alleviate physical safety concerns, as well
as, visually improve the workplace atmosphere.
Customer flow – Implementing operational rules for services and enhancing work station visibility with floor paint helped to minimize delays and produce proper work flow. Using First-in-First-Out systems to ensure speed of service led to increased customer satisfaction.
5S Audit and Maintenance – Establishing a daily and weekly routine review process helped to sustain the newly implemented lean standards. In addition, it encouraged a lean cultural mindset that will help drive continuous gains in workplace efficiency for years to come.
Altogether, initial improvements had a cost savings of $500K, $240K in retained sales and allowed for 2 new job hires. As all transformations require extended effort, these results were just the first fruits of SPORC’s continuous improvement process. The framework established by 5S continues to yield excellent results and is now being implemented at another recycling location as well. Employee morale is high and customers are commenting positively on service and atmosphere. Going forward, TMAC-GC is looking to work with SPORC on, not only plans for their growth strategy, but also product line focus, and market expansion. COO, Brandi Harleaux, had this to say about working with TMAC-GC,
“By bringing the TMAC-GC team onboard, the operations and leadership team learned frameworks and methodologies to standardize key processes and streamline customer traffic flow. In addition to the theory, they actually worked with the management team on a weekly basis implementing the desired changes. This is very significant for me as a business owner because I think it’s easy for consultants to come in and make recommendations but it’s another thing to actually help implement and ensure traction is made. This won’t be the last time we work with TMAC-GC.”
Services Provided: Lean Transformation, 5S, Kaizen, Audit/System maintenance
Website: /www.southpostoakrecycling.com/
