Saving Local Jobs by Improving On-time Delivery

Romer Labs manufactures test kits for food contamination, and demand for their products has continued to increase. The company was struggling with on-time delivery of products to customers which was impacting revenue. Tim Lawruk, director of operations in the Newark office, wanted to improve delivery metrics and keep jobs in Delaware. He had previously worked with the Delaware Manufacturing Extension Partnership (DEMEP), part of the MEP National Network™, on other projects, which had substantially improved business operations, and decided to reach out for assistance.

First, DEMEP facilitated a value stream mapping workshop for Romer Labs. A group of 15 employees participated in the training, gaining knowledge of concepts they could implement immediately at the Newark site. by identifying key objectives, measures, actions, and priorities in the process. The team created a future state map that outlined the optimal logistics flow and DEMEP helped Romer Labs produce a comprehensive action item list to guide the company in achieving its desired future state and key performance metrics.

While the implementation of the of the key action items was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Romer worked with DEMEP virtually to complete the project. The event had an enormous impact and Romer Labs increased productivity so effectively that the company improved on-time delivery by 14% in 3 months. An improved customer communication process is producing significant reduction in backorders to customers and process flow improvements helped the company reduce inventory levels. Romer Labs is keeping jobs in Delaware, and the company expects to increase sales at the Newark site by 20% without adding any staff.