Competitiveness Review Takes Business to Next Level

Written by the Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Louisiana (MEPOL)

Machine Tech uses the most technologically advanced equipment in the machine shop industry to manufacture a wide range of products, from simple to highly complex machine-tooled parts. The company creates more than 30,000 parts from over 3,000 unique designs and relies on in-depth quality assurance procedures to claim a 0.0001 percent rejection rate. The Quality Assurance Department undertakes exacting measurement and calibration of every aspect of the part, using the exact same gauges the customer uses. Based in Houma, Louisiana, Machine Tech has close to 40 employees.

By using the Competitiveness Assessment tool provided by the MEP of Louisiana, Machine Tech was able to take a deep dive into what areas of our business we want to focus on in order to grow the business to the next level in the next few years.  —Nica Paolillo, Executive Assistant

MEP of Louisiana (MEPOL), part of the MEP National Network^TM, engaged with Machine Tech through a referral from the Small Business Development Center (SBDC). Machine Tech was involved with SBDC for about a year, working on marketing, business, and cash flow projects. When the company realized it was time to focus on operational effectiveness, they asked MEPOL to conduct a thorough review of their processes.

MEPOL used the Competitiveness Review 4.0 Assessment tool with Machine Tech to provide an on-site, systematic evaluation of the business. The Competitiveness Review measures a company’s operations and performance against globally competitive criteria and evaluates systems rather than individual performance. It consists of three parts: an online questionnaire, an on-site review, and an assessment report.

MEPOL partnered with Fletcher Community College during the review, and the director of MEPOL and a representative from Fletcher conducted the initial assessment interview with Machine Tech staff. They followed up with a report containing information collected on-site, analytical data from the online questionnaire, and recommendations for Machine Tech’s consideration.

Machine Tech implemented the recommendations to boost sales, realize opportunities for cost savings, decide on new investments, and sustain their growing workforce. The company is looking forward to ongoing business growth.

Results

• 400,000 in increased/retained sales
• $10,000 in costs savings
• 32 new or retained jobs
• $50,000 investment

Could your company benefit from assistance with operational effectiveness? Connect with your local MEP Center for more information.

The Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Louisiana (MEPOL) is the official representative of the MEP National Network in Louisiana. The MEP National Network is a unique public-private partnership that helps small and medium-sized manufacturers generate business results and thrive in today’s technology-driven economy. The MEP National Network comprises the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP), the 51 MEP Centers located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.