When to Hire a Manufacturing Consultant (2024)

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By the time a company is asking this question, normally my answer is, “about 2 years ago!”

3 short days is all it should take for a consultant to size up the situation and point you in the right direction.

If your manufacturing facility can relate to any of these list items, then hiring a good consultant will more than pay for itself!

1. Anytime you have a problem that is not getting solved.
2. Anytime you’re not meeting your targets.
3. If you have ANY scrap whatsoever it will benefit you to look for a
better way to manage your high scrap costs!
4. Your warranty is too high.
5. Some of your staff seem to be un-trainable.
6. You have an “old dog” that needs to be taught “new tricks.”
7. A young “smarty pants” thinks he or she knows everything.
8. Managers are not driving the results required.
9. Your company does not have a lean culture and needs cultural
transformation.
10. Your employees are all doing different things instead of following a Standardized Work ____ (If you’re not familiar with Standardized Work, it means your employees should perform their tasks without variation, similar to programmed robots)
11. If you have processes that frequently require the “magic touch” of your best employees, you need a consultant! (because what that really means is that most of your employees are improperly trained)
12. If you need a schedule that fits your specific facility… a schedule that perfectly implements Lean Manufacturing to save the most money and make the most profits
13. You need help implementing a world class training matrix that drives perfection with minimal managers work.
14. If you need help running Kaizan Events or a DOE.
15. You want to learn how to set the right targets.

A common thing companies tell me is, they don’t know what targets to set. They don’t know what a world-class scrap rate would be for their industry, or how much they should be spending in warranty per month. Maybe they’re making great money, but they’re also leaving money on the table.

And finally, I’m going to add a bonus list item. Do you have suppliers that fail quality inspections or can’t keep your schedule? Or can’t make a Run-At-Rate? Require them to hire a consultant if they don’t meet requirements within 2 weeks.

If you’ve gone through this evaluation and decided that it’s time to hire a consultant, feel free to contact me! And if I’m not the right guy for your job, I have lots of connections. I can put you in touch with someone who is!

I’ve never been surprised by a problem. I’ve seen every type of problem out there. Every problem is solvable. Sometimes companies just need a different way of looking at their issues. A fresh set of trained eyes is often all it takes to make the difference!

Why let an untrained engineer that is engulfed in your company’s culture work a Lean Manufacturing problem that someone like myself could solve in 3 days?

Also I always love to hear from you guys! Let me know in the comments below…
• What do you think makes a “good” consultant?
• If your consultant had super-powers, what would those powers be, and how would they help your company?

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Thanks for watching, and have a great day!