Manufacturing Transformation at Mitchell Metal Products

Mitchell Metal Products (MMP), located in Kosciusko, Mississippi, and founded in 1924, is a privately held, family-owned business that manufacturers HVAC products. Their product line consists of HVAC duct pipe and fittings ranging in size from 3” to 24” in diameter, and Type B gas vent pipe and fittings, plenums, and drain pans.  MMP manufactures their products from galvanized steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. MMP sells their products to wholesale HVAC companies across the southeast, who then sell to building contractors. In addition to standard parts, they also manufacture many custom-made items that are designed according to customer requests and specifications.

The demand for MMP products has grown and they have added additional products to their line over the past several years. To keep up with demand, they were running up to 18 hours per week of overtime and were out of space to expand their processes. Their finished goods and work in process were stored in aisles as no additional space was available within the shipping department. Additionally, their current lot was not large enough to store and manage their logistics trailers without interfering with inbound/outbound logistical operations and employee parking. As their customer orders increased and outpaced capacity, MMP sought the assistance of MMA-MEP’s affiliate center, MSU CAVS Extension (CAVS-E), part of the MEP National Network™.

MMA-MEP’s affiliate center at MSU CAVS-E collaborated with Mitchell Metal Products' staff to understand current production challenges. CAVS-E’s initial step was to create an updated “as-is” layout of MMP’s current struggling facility. At the same time, the county presented MMP with the opportunity to lease a larger, 315,000-sq.-ft. vacant facility in the area. To evaluate the new facility, MSU-CAVS-E performed a 3-D scan of the off-site facility and prepared a “conceptual design” of the existing and future equipment showing an improved layout to eliminate bottlenecks and flow issues.

The collaboration between MSU CAVS Extension Team and the Mitchell Metal Product’s Production and Maintenance team has led to a 100% increase in production capacity. The team efficiently planned and executed the transition with minimal disruption to production. Additionally, the production and material storage areas were redesigned in the new facility to eliminate bottlenecks, improve product flow, and reduce the handling of work in progress and finished goods. Furthermore, the new facility provided extra storage space for raw materials, preventing disruptions due to supplier shortages or delivery issues. Material ready for shipment is now stored under one roof, and a new loading area for longer piping enables loading on flatbed trucks without multiple handling.