Specialty Loose Leaf goes Lean!

(Holyoke, MA) Specialty Loose Leaf is the recent recipient of two major grants. The Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund and the New England Trade Adjustment Assistance Corporation have awarded Specialty Loose Leaf, Inc. $150,000 to be used for their transformation into a true Lean thinking organization.

Funds are being used for employee training at all levels of the organization. From the introduction of an employee idea system to the development of a management reading club, the culture of this 100-year-old manufacturer is undergoing a dramatic change. Lean Manufacturing tools such as 5S, Kanban, Kaizen, and Value Stream Mapping are being employed in key work centers and are branching outward across the entire factory.

The company has already made dramatic progress in achieving its aggressive goal of condensing its operation from four floors to two in its 220,000 sq. ft. facility. An increase in sales, reduction of inventory and reduced customer lead times are the metrics. The goal is to have the industry's most satisfied customers!