Accomplishments

Ken Branco
Representative Accomplishments
(Reverse Chronology)

The projects and accomplishments listed here are specific to Ken Branco, founder and principal of R.E.V.V. International. All other members of the association have similar experiences. Listings and references are available upon request.

Project: Consortium of metal manufacturing companies. Wide variety of products and operations. Develop and deliver unique Certified Lean Expert Program.
Actions: Design and develop ?from scratch? Expert development program consisting of Leadership training, 15 classroom days, multiple cross-company Kaizens, internal projects, certification criteria, and more.
Results: Delivered on time and in budget. Of 20 original candidates, 12 were Certified by meeting or exceeding stringent requirements of the program. See 'Programs.'

Project: Consortium of metal manufacturing companies. Wide variety of products. Design and deliver Kaizen-based Lean Implementation Strategy.
Actions: Using the full resources of R.E.V.V., planned and executed a series of 32 Kaizen events across seven companies, on time and in budget.
Results: Return on total investment of more than 150% during the engagement. Equivalent savings to continue indefinitely. Sample results within companies. Product travel reduced 25+%, space requirements reduced 25%+, work in process reduced 35%, setup times reduced 50+%, output increased 25% (no increase in personnel), etc.

Project: Statewide business and industry association. Co-develop unique 'group consulting' programs to assist multiple companies a lowered cost.
Actions: As a joint venture, developed and delivered (to ~20 companies) group consulting programs for Lean development, shop floor and office.
Results: All companies had returns on investment of more than 200%. Forty percent of companies participated in multiple programs. Ninety percent of clients said program 'exceeded expectations.' R.E.V.V. received 2002 Connecticut Innovation Award for this work. See 'Awards and Press.'

Project: Lightning equipment manufacturer, ship from stock. Relayout shop floor for flow, determine strategic inventory, redesign office information flow.
Actions: Collaborated with leadership to completely revamp layout. Developed strategic inventory levels on a part-by-part basis. Redesigned the pick-pack-ship process. Mapped and redesigned office flow.
Results: Space requirements reduced by 25%. Productivity increased by 25%. Stockouts reduced significantly. Office process steps reduced by ~35%.

Project: Fortune 200 manufacturer of pharmaceuticals. World-wide operations. Led 5-day Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) Kaizen in Australia.
Actions: Developed data requirements, trained and led cross-functional team of ten in Kaizen to improve output and OEE of automated Blow-Fill-Seal line.
Results: In 90 days, OEE (a measurement of effectiveness) doubled, and output of the line doubled.

Project: Manufacturer of linear actuators. Make to stock, make to order. Industrial and Military applications. Perform Setup Reduction Kaizens.
Actions: Trained teams and led five setup reduction Kaizens. Mentored leadership in the tools and techniques.
Results: Setups reduced by 55-65%. Shop able to produce equal output with 10% less man-hours. Flexibility increased, lead times reduced (anecdotal data).

Project: Fortune 200 diversified manufacturer. Jet engines to spark plugs. Lead four week of Lean training for Lean Expert Candidates.
Actions: As wave leader, responsible for development and delivery of deep Lean training. Developed learning environment, kept agenda, mentored candidates on a one-to one basis.
Results: Most highly rated instructor in the history of the program. Ratings (both technical and leadership) averaged 4.4 of 5.0.

Project: Manufacturer of scientific and pharmaceutical glass. Perform multiple Baseline Kaizens to determine Lean potential and prioritize projects.
Actions: Trained teams of 20+ individuals in Lean and Baseline tools. Co-led one-week Baseline Kaizens in scientific and pharmaceutical Value Streams.
Results: Baselines identified more than $10 million in opportunity. Projects prioritized, planned, scheduled and staffed.

Project: Semi-custom kitchen manufacturer. Complete transition of shop floor operations from batch, queue, and assemble to 'one kitchen flow.'
Actions: Collaborated with leadership to develop shop philosophy, total shop layout, plan and execute transition to one kitchen flow.
Results: Shop floor lead time reduced 55% (11 days to 5), work in process reduced 80%, productivity (hours/cabinet) improved 15%.

Project: Manufacturer of architectural hardware. Make to stock, short delivery. Train and facilitate New Product Introduction teams to reduce lead times, improve quality and participation, move decision making outward.
Actions: Collaborate with leadership to determine strategic intent. Train NPI teams in process, decision making, and interpersonal skills. Facilitate process.
Results: New products to market on time. Process simplified, decisions moved outward. Client referred to rollout as "possibly the best introduction in the history of the company."

Project: Manufacturer of precision gears, make to order. Perform Setup Reduction Kaizens, map and redesign office information flow.
Actions: Led several setup reduction teams over a period of 18 months. Mapped and redesigned office flow to reduce lead time, improve responsiveness.
Results: Setup times reduced 50-65%. Many setups now under Takt time, resulting in 'transparent' change from part to part. Office lead time reduced ~30%.

Project: Manufacturer of wire products. Make to order. Reduce lead time and batch quantities in the shop.
Actions: Trained and led team through process improvement for lean. Mapped, analyzed, redesigned and implemented new system for scheduling and manufacturing.
Results: Product travel reduced by 90%, batch size reduced by 50%. Lead time reduced by 50%. Work in process reduced by 75%.

Project: Manufacturer of automotive initiating devices. Make to Kanban, missed deliveries carry stiff penalty.
Actions: Trained teams and led four shop floor improvement Kaizens, covering multiple product lines. Identified and removed constraints, improved flow.
Results: Improvement from 'hand to mouth' Kanban replenishment to one week of strategic inventory (required) within six weeks. Output of a single line increased by 25%.

R.E.V.V. International is relentlessly focused on skill and knowledge transfer, to speed your journey toward the Vigorous (Lean) Enterprise. We have ready access to more than a dozen world-class consultant/trainers, each with many years of experience and deep skills (see ‘Friends of R.E.V.V.’). The composition of this team has been developed to be able to provide the right skills, to the right depth, just in time.