Understanding Operational Excellence in Manufacturing
Operational Excellence in Manufacturing: TechSolve’s Role in Elevating SW Ohio’s Industry
At TechSolve, we empower manufacturers to achieve operational excellence through expert guidance, strategic mapping, and structured execution. Our tools and expertise ensure that the manufacturing industry in southwest Ohio remains a leader in U.S. innovation and success.
Deeply embedded in the fabric of our community, we serve companies across Ohio’s southwest region as a nonprofit organization. We’re committed to helping manufacturers grow their operations, expand their workforces, promote a thriving industrial landscape, and achieve operational excellence in manufacturing.
SW Ohio Manufacturers: The Backbone of National and Global Trade
Southwest Ohio manufacturers are a driving force in the national and global economy, contributing significantly to industrial success, operational excellence in manufacturing, and inspiring manufacturers nationwide. These Ohio numbers speak for themselves:
- $129 billion in annual GDP, the highest contributing industry sector in the state.
- $56.8 billion in global exports, reaching 212 foreign countries and territories.
- $48 billion in annual payroll, the highest total wages of any Ohio industry sector.
- 683,148 manufacturing jobs statewide, ranking third-largest in the entire country.
Achieving and maintaining these levels of performance is no small feat. Despite their success, manufacturers today face increasingly complex and disparate challenges. To better understand these hurdles, we spoke with Steve Bebko, senior business advisor and Sue Via, senior project manager, at TechSolve. They each have over 30 years experience doing consulting within the manufacturing industry. They shared their insights drawn from work they have done with manufacturers across the state.
Scaling the Mountain, Step by Step
Operational excellence in manufacturing relies on structured process improvement, operational integrity, and continuous development. Manufacturers benefit from expert guidance on these incremental improvements, allowing them to focus on the bigger picture while knowing that each small step is effectively managed.
Steve elaborated by sharing insights from his own experiences. “Every manufacturer that we work with is climbing a mountain towards a big, hairy, audacious goal that is driving their organization forward. They can’t possibly climb that mountain overnight, but what they can do is make discrete, incremental progress across multiple fronts as they chase that long-range goal.”
Finding the Trailhead Requires a Clear Map
As Steve described, manufacturers excel at setting major organizational goals but often struggle to determine where to begin. This is where TechSolve steps in, typically at or before project inception, helping companies navigate their path forward. A great way to begin this journey is with Value Stream Mapping.
Value Stream Mapping provides critical insights into financial, operational, workforce, material, supply chain, and overall performance metrics. This process ultimately leads to a structured roadmap of next steps and additional improvement initiatives.
Sue knows the importance of this highly successful and implemented process. “We often start our projects with Value Stream Mapping to pinpoint what we need to work on and in what order. We use this mapping exercise to help clients establish a vision for where they can get to, and then we break it down into bite-sized pieces that we can accomplish one after the other.”
At its core, TechSolve’s approach is about partnership — setting realistic expectations and continuously quantifying improvements while ensuring the workforce is engaged and aligned with changes.
Knowing Each Step, Helps you Head Toward the Right Summit
How do manufacturers know they’re progressing toward the right objectives? According to Steve, it all comes down to understanding their challenges within a structured framework. “TechSolve’s clients view their challenges in one of three ways: wanting to increase the value of their business, wanting to increase their rate of growth, or wanting to increase their profit margin.”
Operational excellence in manufacturing is implemented by Steve through his own interaction with clients. “I’m a big proponent of asking lots of questions and seeking to understand. In this way, we’re helping the client figure out what they want and how much this aspiration is worth to them in terms of time, energy, and effort.
Steve leverages the Scaling Up platform to quantify organizational goals in four key areas: people, strategy, execution, and cash. Along the same lines of improvement through change in manufacturing, Sue applies continuous process improvement (CPI) tools. These tools include steps to optimize cost, quality, and delivery on the plant floor.
“Once we’ve got a good feeling for what they’re trying to do, we break their ambitions down into the Scaling Up model of people, strategy, execution, and cash. With that, we can reach a business case that aligns the aspiration and its worth to the client with a very tangible set of solutions.”
Keeping SW Ohio Manufacturing at the Forefront
Through expert guidance, strategic mapping, and structured execution, TechSolve helps manufacturers achieve operational excellence that might otherwise be out of reach. By providing necessary tools and expertise, they ensure that the manufacturing industry in Southwest Ohio remains at the forefront of U.S. manufacturing innovation and success.
At TechSolve we understand manufacturing leaders like you. You live and breathe your job. You don’t walk away from challenges. It’s easy to become weighed down as you try to figure a way out. We get it. Asking for help is hard, but we’re here to do the heavy lifting, champion you, and get you where you need to go. We care about transforming manufacturers today, creating a culture of operational excellence in manufacturing and building a stronger, brighter tomorrow. Contact us to learn more about operational excellence in manufacturing.
