DEMEP Assists Company That Helps Protect Children

SUMURI LLC was founded in the home of Ailyn and Steve Whalen in 2010. This nearly 15-year-old company provides software, hardware, and training to organizations involved in computer forensic investigations. SUMURI LLC’s mission is to empower law enforcement and military agencies in their efforts to combat child exploitation, human trafficking, and terrorism, while also providing its expertise to corporate clients such as NASA, the United Nations, IBM, Apple, and Walmart. SUMURI LLC has grown from two people to 40 employees at its Magnolia, Delaware, location.

The production floor was disorganized and inefficient, occupying excessive floor space. SUMURI LLC needed its operations to flow more smoothly to meet customer deadlines effectively. Additionally, improvements were needed in information systems, inventory management, manufacturing processes, customer relations management, and technical support.

The DEMEP team collaborated with SUMURI LLC’s owners on value stream mapping to improve workflow and eliminate unnecessary steps in production. Using simple graph paper and cut-outs to represent equipment and workstations, they designed a more efficient layout within three days. DEMEP also helped create a facility where visual management turned the space into a “status-at-a-glance” operation. Workplace organization, standardization, and 5S tools contributed to a more streamlined environment, improving information flow and other processes.