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All-Hands on Deck Support of Annual Manufacturing Goals
With the help of: Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC)
About
From its production facility in Springfield, Vermont, Mamava pods are designed, engineered, manufactured, and assembled at Mamava Manufacturing. Their private lactation spaces are designed for breastfeeding mothers in all 50 states and beyond with a mission "to create a healthier society through infrastructure and support for breastfeeding." Since installing its first prototype at the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport in 2013, Mamava has manufactured thousands of lactation pods. As the leading expert in lactation space design, offering a full line of lactation space solutions designed to fit every space and situation, Mamava is a women-founded B-Corp headquartered in Burlington, Vermont with 27 employees.
The Challenge
Having worked with VMEC, part of the MEP National Network™, in 2018 during ExporTech, Mamava once again asked VMEC to support their growth needs, this time in attaining the company's 2023 manufacturing goals. This will include broad-based lean training as well as applied learning. The applied learning will be to train participants to apply lean tools and problem solving to the most critical limitations to achieving their 2023 goals.
As anyone in production knows, one of the hardest things to do is actually stop production. This is true even when it comes to making improvements. Working with VMEC allowed the company, as a whole, to understand that even though there would be a drop in production during the training period, the benefits of that training would eventually outweigh that loss of production. Another benefit of the training was the amount of camaraderie that was built among the team. We had quite a few new employees at that point, and it can be very difficult for new hires to gain acceptance from an existing, well established team. While we certainly implemented many changes due to the training, and we have seen benefits from those changes, what we gained most was a stronger team with a more uniform mindset. Because of the success of this experience with VMEC, we are currently working with them to improve our Quality Management Program, and I'm very much looking forward to the results of this collaboration.
MEP's Role
VMEC spent time with Mamava team members walking the manufacturing floor to gain an understanding of the current state of operations. This process was followed by a series of Lean 101 training opportunities, then the application of basic lean tools. Next, was the applied learning segment which allowed for time to understand, analyze and prioritize needed actions. The project was rounded out with 5S methodology, visual control systems and mistake proofing sessions with a second round of applied learning which was targeted at more advanced tools like plant layout, structured problem solving and value stream mapping.
Created November 5, 2024