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- Interscapes Inc. - Business Process Review
Interscapes Inc. Renews their Lean Journey with a Business Process Review from Enterprise Minnesota
Our Client
Interscapes Inc. is an architectural woodworking firm that serves general contractors throughout the United States. Founded in 1987, the company employs 35 workers today in their 14,000 square foot plant in north Minneapolis. They produce reception desks, wood cabinetry, and custom design woodwork primarily for commercial and office use. Serving others and providing find architectural woodwork on time without a punch-list.
Our Client's Problem
Several years ago, Interscapes began their Lean journey on a quest for continuous improvement by identifying and eliminating waste and improving workflow. They implemented Lean techniques that helped the company achieve greater efficiency and growth. In fact, Interscapes grew nearly 20 percent annually. However, since then, Interscapes had not continued to target Lean improvements. As their market entered a downswing, their annual growth began to hover around five percent annually. Wanting to recapture business growth, Interscapes needed to assess their current situation and plan for a successful future.
The Business Process Review gave us a compass and direction. It provided a baseline to see where we were weak and strong. Now we're on the same page to set priorities and plan.
Ron Lyrek
PresidentInterscapes Inc.
Enterprise Minnesota's Solution
Interscapes decided to continue on their Lean journey, but they needed a plan. Having known about Enterprise Minnesota 's work through its publications and website, Interscapes asked for help. Together, they decided that a Business Process Review (BPR) was the best place to start. A BPR is the first step in a strategic approach to help improve a business. Using a nationally recognized assessment tool, a business is able to measure performance against globally competitive criteria. Ron Lyrek, president of Interscapes, and his employees began the process by completing survey evaluations of their organization. Interscapes employees and leadership analyzed operations from an internal perspective - being fair to judge strengths and limitations. After providing their information, Interscapes hosted Enterprise Minnesota specialists for an on-site evaluation of their operations. Enterprise Minnesota 's goal was to provide an outside, impartial perspective in the BPR. They reviewed six key categories including management, marketing, operations, quality, health and safety, and technology. Enterprise Minnesota brought together all of the survey results and on-site analysis in the final BPR report.
Interscapes' Results
Interscapes BPR identified areas of strength and weakness and targeted competitive areas for improvement. Wanting to continue their Lean journey, Interscapes began utilizing the BPR to improve efficiency and grow business. They developed an IT disaster plan and transformed their office using Lean techniques. The resulting changes have eliminated waste, increased efficiency, and made better use of staff resources. Notably, after using the information in the BPR, Interscapes identified and eliminated office inefficiencies that have shortened lead times by eight percent. After completing the BPR at the end of 2007, the company is currently on pace to grow by 30 percent in 2008 - while facing a market that is down 20 percent. They even added a new engineering position and eliminated outsourcing some of their work. Interscapes plans to use the BPR to further improve business and continue on their Lean journey.
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