Plant Expansion Prepares Manufacturer to Meet Demand

A seasoned manufacturer of upset and press forgings was growing beyond capacity. Sales were four times what they were eight years ago and steadily rising. The manufacturer needed to increase production output to meet projected demand.

IPM’s Challenge

IPM was engaged to evaluate the feasibility of expanding operations at the manufacturer’s existing site, which would include an assessment of capital expenses, shop floor layout, and material flow.

IPM’s Approach

• Collect detailed information on existing operations
• Recommend an optimal & cost-efficient alternative
• Analyze and evaluate viable options
• Create an implementation plan

Optimal Recommendation Rationale

IPM thoroughly analyzed each alternative and selected an optimal solution based on:

• Utilization of the Existing Site
  • All new and existing capital equipment would fit within the existing site without the need for a secondary site or outsourced manufacturing operations.
• Optimized Material Flow
  • Even with significantly increased capacity, materials would move logically throughout the facility, increasing manufacturing efficiency and reducing material-handling traffic.
• Adherence to Cost & Schedule Requirements
  • The solution would be delivered within budget and on-time to the client’s requirements to meet demand

Results

IPM exceeded the client’s expectations with a plan that was cost-efficient, optimized for material flow, and could be executed in a timely manner. It would significantly improve manufacturing operations and provide a foundation for the manufacturer to meet projected product demand. The VP of Operations noted that IPM’s solution was not obvious to the team, however, because IPM educated the company throughout the analysis, the team is confident in the recommendation.