Results

We’re here to help you take control of your business.

Results

We’re here to help you take control of your business.

THE FOLLOWING FOUR CASE STUDIES, are examples of how the Visual System of Work™ (VSOW) method and tools helped lead and facilitate the management of work as well as managing projects to their successful completion.

Whirlpool Corporation

David was asked to help implement continuous improvement at Whirlpool Corporation, which had recently expanded beyond their American roots to become the world’s top manufacturer of home appliances.

David and his team developed a three-day course for Whirlpool employees called Improving Business Processes. It became the blueprint used by people throughout the company to improve manufacturing, administration, customer service, and other departments.

David understood that the comprehensiveness of this project would mean a completely new way of doing business at Whirlpool:

“Our goal was to transform the company into one that focused on quality and efficiency at all levels of the business. We helped employees understand the importance of project management and short-and-long-term objectives, as well as the ongoing pursuit of process improvement, progress measurement and customer satisfaction.”

Initially implemented by top management of Whirlpool’s North American Appliance Group, the Improving Business Processes program was rolled out to that entire division and later throughout the whole company.

Leedo Cabinetry

This company was growing fast and needed help managing the increasing complexity of its cabinetry business. Sales were great, but they just weren’t prepared to keep up with the sudden increase in business. The company’s manufacturing division was especially disorganized and chronically behind schedule, creating delays throughout the business. DTL helped them map work procedures and identified the critical handoffs and inspection points. Then we developed dashboards to evaluate workflow and employee responsibilities. Within a few months, the manufacturing group transformed from an unstable, chaotic, and frequently-late group to the most reliable, organized, and on-time department within the entire company. These improvements of course affected other areas of the business, and other groups no longer had to make up for manufacturing’s shortcomings … Inspired by the positive results in manufacturing, installation services started to map their workflow and use dashboards to measure progress. This resulted in less rework, fewer special-order parts, and faster installations. Sales administration soon followed suit, and by the end of our partnership with Leedo they were able to easily maintain their high quality standards while keeping up with growing demand.

Asset Health

What began as a one-day seminar stretched into a collaboration of over a year’s time. Asset Health needed to define their core areas for improvement and determine where key actions were needed. By simplifying systems and processes and making the flow of work visible, everyone in the company gained a better understanding of how the business operated. When staff saw the bigger picture, communication and teamwork between departments improved. Improvements in quality of work and service quickly followed. DTL worked with Asset Health staff to improve customer service, personal productivity, system workflow, operational initiatives, and sales processes. Special attention was paid to activities that attracted new business while improving existing customer support. We showed sales staff how to carry out growth development activities while simultaneously keeping up with day-to-day work responsibilities.
LoneStar Logo & Signs LoneStar approached DTL with a desire to improve the flow of information between departments. They wanted all their processes to be clear so that everyone in the business could see and understand the complex flow between business functions. They felt most employees had a basic understanding of what took place within the business, but they never actually analyzed or assessed their internal systems. The team started off using storyboards to help staff create a System of Work and Visual Tracking Systems. All processes were monitored, allowing staff to see what was actually taking place in the business. On many occasions, the results were surprising. Armed with this new information, LoneStar learned where they were working well and where there were obstacles and/or missed opportunities. The company continues to use the processes developed by DTL to continuously improve their business.
David T Lord
David is always in tune with the pulse that drives our business. He has the foresight to allow my management team and staff to come to logical conclusions in creating solutions for performance improvement. He does not use the typical “consultant-eeze” which can often upset the rhythm of a growing organization. David facilitated meetings and asked the right questions enabling us to extract and analyze pertinent information to diagnose constraints within our System of Work. David’s enthusiastic way of getting people motivated and his methods and tools have improved our performance throughout the entire company. David’s depth of experience and his own internal “continuous improvement process” is extremely valuable. He is never short of new ideas and concepts that we can learn from and immediately implement into our business. “
– Jim Taylor, President Taylor Group Insurance (currently CEO at Launchways)