“[Managing in the NOW] is easy to brag about! Wow, what a positive change it made in our company and the people who worked there! After owning a business for over 25 years, we were invigorated by Mass Ingenuity with the excitement of a new business. Mass Ingenuity not only catapulted us into the future with innovative thinking and great results, it provided employees with personal growth. The Management System visually proved to our prospects and clients that we were the right supplier for them. The results were priceless! ” — Co-founder and CEO

Client: Privately held custom cable assembly company operating as the preferred supplier for numerous world-wide customers with high requirements and expectations.

Need: The company suffered from unpredictable business cycles exposing it to ongoing ups and downs, not always due to the economic environment. The company owner wanted to level out these cycles so they had more predictability, less variation and sustainable improved performance.

Also, the management team was very involved with tactical issues instead of the strategies that would move the business forward. Employees did not have efficient problem solving skills and it was not clear where to focus their energy. The company operated in silos, which meant that end-to-end processes which touched multiple departments were not well understood or managed. The owner needed a system of management to deliver the higher performance levels required by customers, suppliers, and employees. Also, employees needed to learn how to make improvements during down times.

NOW Management System Solution and Client Results

Consultants implemented a customized Management System and achieved the following results:

• Employees and managers learned and better understood how the business operated because they were involved in the creation of the new System of Management
• Understanding how processes interfaced with its departments and their specific customer value
• Silos broke down and employees defined their processes and measurements
• Provided employees and managers real-time data to support mitigation efforts
• Employees gained a stronger connection to company performance and employee engagement significantly improved
• Improvements were made to inventory turns, delivery responsiveness, higher revenue and profitability, greater customer satisfaction, and more engaged employees
• The owner and management team better executed on their vision, values and strategic initiatives
• The owner used the visual Management System to show prospects and customers how well the business was managed, thereby gaining their confidence and increased sales

The Ultimate Result

The company received close to perfect scores by key customers, was the highest rated among all other suppliers and received many annual “best” supplier awards. This enabled an ongoing relationship with its customers. Within four years, the business was sold at a very handsome price.