If ever there were a company in need of some serious lean thinking, it was Marotta Controls in the 1990s. The New Jersey maker of valves for use in aerospace and other industries was dysfunctional on many levels. Production efficiency was poor, and getting product out the door was a major challenge. "Lead times [from receipt of order to delivery] kept growing and growing," explained Steven Fox, Vice President of Operations. "It got up to 32 weeks—and even at that we were still missing deadlines." Fox, who has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, had been working in the area of lean manufacturing for more than 10 years with previous employers in the aerospace industry. He came to Marotta in 2000 and quickly put into place a lean manufacturing initiative. With lead times now in the neighborhood of eight to ten weeks— and with a 95% delivery compliance rate—Fox considers the implementation a success and likes where the company is today.
展开▼
