NCGrowth works on a range of projects for expanding businesses that include inventory systems, business plans, marketing strategies, lean manufacturing, process improvement, and more.
By Greg Hauser
Acme Sample (AS) is a small manufacturing company in High Point, NC. They specialize in creating high quality fabric samples and swatches for various furniture, wallpaper, and textile manufacturers. AS is uniquely competitive in their ability to offer both a wide variety of products and accommodate large order sizes. The classes of product types range from individual swatch cards, to swatch booklets and ring-sets. AS oversees the sample production all the way from commercial printing of labels and cards, to shipping the final product.
Acme Sample engaged NCGrowth to develop time studies and help implement aspects of Lean Manufacturing, introducing a scientific approach to production management. These goals are intended to support further growth of the company in terms of volume and variety of work, by improving the capacity and reliability of current operations.
The scope of the project included two primary goals, (1) to implement a previous consultant’s recommendations and (2) to characteriza current processes.
AS recently hired a Lean Manufacturing consultant to develop an improved assembly process for the swatch card class of product offerings. NCGrowth used the consultant ‘s initial findings as a foundation to offer recommendations on a more generalized assembly process. After extended testing, the new design proved to be as productive as the current assembly process but required only half the floor space. This innovation helps double Acme ‘s capacity, with minimal additional resources.
The remainder of the project was dedicated to characterizing other current production processes. This characterization included assessing the current production standards for the Sewing department and documenting the current methods and throughput rates of the Cutting department. The results of these characterization efforts are intended to support further process improvement and assist future production planning and scheduling efforts.
NCGrowth ‘s recommendations will help increase the efficiency of the assembly process and provide the necessary data to continue such improvements elsewhere in the business. This will allow Acme Samples to grow organically, create additional jobs, and reduce operational costs.
Gregory Hauser is an NCGrowth Analyst and an Operations Research PhD student at NC State University.
By Joseph-emery Lyvan Kouaho
The town of Tillery, NC is located in Halifax County and was established during the depression-era Resettlement Administration. The Resettlement Administration was an agency whose purpose was to supply land to families so that they could live on and cultivate the land.
Gary Grant and the Concerned Citizens of Tillery engaged NCGrowth to help the town with strategic initiatives to bring tourism to Tillery. Tillery is situated along the Roanoke River and has several prime camp sites. NCGrowth provided recommendations to improve these sites, and ultimately boost tourism in the area. NCGrowth also conducted research into an Airbnb experience that highlights attractions Tillery has to offer including an historical tour of the town.
Joseph-emery Lyvan Kouaho is an NCGrowth Analyst and a Masters in Public Policy student at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy.
By Swapnil Pillai
Lindley Mills is an organic specialty flour mill and mix manufacturer based in Graham, NC. The mill was founded in 1755 and is currently run by ninth and tenth generation Lindleys. The company has a rich history of producing high quality flours with around 40 years of organic milling experience. The manufacturer procures high quality grain from farmers across the United States and produces healthy and nutritious flour. It is known for sprouted flours with Super SproutTM and “Bake the most of it”TM being the trademarks. They employ around 20-25 associates and serve bakers, processors, distributors and restaurants locally, and nationwide.
Lindley Mills engaged NCGrowth to complete three projects—(1) devise a bag inventory management system, (2) complete a market analysis, and (3) provide information about similar compensation and benefit structures.
The business needed help developing a bag inventory system which would detail pertinent data such as on-hand damaged bags, etcetera. A new system would decrease idle production time, increase manufacturer productivity, and help Lindley Mills complete vendor orders more efficiently. NCGrowth created an excel, VBA-based inventory management tool to help leverage existing data sources with negligible changes to the current structure. This tool tracked critical KPIs and gave close to real time status of business inventory.
Lindley Mills also requested a market study that identified competitors and potential customers for their specialty flours. NCGrowth conducted thorough research of various flour millers and built a profile of competitors that will aid Lindley Mills in devising effective strategies to overcome competition. NCGrowth also analyzed the flour offerings at various retail chains to identify potential customers for Lindley Mills.
Lastly, Lindley Mills sought to understand methods to retain skilled associates and ensure high job satisfaction amongst its employees. NCGrowth completed a thorough analysis of industry specific compensation and benefit structures. This research served as a foundation to provide accurate recommendations for potential policy amendments.
Swapnil Pillai is an NCGrowth Analyst and an Operations Research Graduate student at North Carolina State University.
By Vy Huynh
Tastin’ Jamaican is based in Louisburg, North Carolina and manufactures a unique, Caribbean style salsa. It was established in 2013 by Melissa Hodges and has grown annually in sales. Tastin’ Jamaican takes pride in their products, sourcing premium ingredients from local farmers to create a unique and smoky taste. Its products are processed using a health-focused production method and are free from preservatives and artificial additives.
Tastin’ Jamaican engaged NCGrowth to develop a business plan that will help with fundraising and investment efforts. In order to fulfill this goal, NCGrowth conducted market research to provide historical and current industry trends. The final report also includes a company overview, with an emphasis on its operation plan, marketing plan and financial projections.
Louisburg town leadership plans to restore an old textile mill this year. Town leadership hopes to use part of the space as a shared kitchen which would be used by Tastin Jamaican and other local businesses. NCGrowth provided case studies of similar shared kitchen models around the state to ultimately help the Town establish best practices.
Vy Huynh is an NCGrowth Analyst and a joint MPP/MBA student at Duke University.
