SMI Strategic Modularity

Strategic Modularity Inc. (SMI) offers the following services:

Lean Transformation for Manufacturing Companies
Facilitation of Strategic Planning
Meeting Skills Training
Systems Engineering and Systems Analysis

While seemingly unrelated, these services have one thing in common: a holistic systems level perspective that embraces human behavior. Nothing new is possible unless the affected people "buy-in" to the vision of what is possible. Establishing a stretch GOAL is core to each one of our engagements. SMI uses systems level analysis to determine what is possible. The vision is sold by engaging the right people at the right time with the right methods, including training and learning-by-doing.

Lean Transformation
Want to get Lean? Get Visual! Establishing the Visual Factory is the foundation for a successful Lean Manufacturing transformation project. A Lean Transformation initiative is based on a master plan and is executed using: 1) training, 2) visual factory methods, and 3) a series of Point Kaizen events. A Lean Transformation project enables most manufacturers to achieve the following results:

Decrease manufacturing lead time to 50% of the original lead time.
Improve productivity. Increase production capacity by 50% to 100%.
Liberate working capital. Free-up working capital that is currently tied-up in inventory, excess lead time, and excess space. Reducing WIP and FG inventory liberates a lot of working capital.
Improve Quality. Realize a 50% reduction in defects.

The factory depicted in the image below is semi-organized chaos. Can you see the waste? Establishing "The Visual Factory" is the key to a successful Lean Manufacturing transformation project. Most waste is hidden, in both material flow and information flow. Before waste can be reduced or eliminated, it must first be made visible.

Strategic Planning
Strategy is the allocation of scarce resources. Strategy is deciding what not to do. Without a strategy, leadership and growth are difficult, if not impossible. Any organization can rapidly develop a strategy based on a few simple goals.

A strategy in one day. With professional facilitation and a well designed meeting, it is possible to establish a core strategy in one day.

Meeting Skills
An organization cannot be any better than its meeting skills. The biggest costs of poor meetings are lost opportunities, lost lead time, and wasted labor. Meeting effectiveness (or dysfunctionality) closely mirrors the effectiveness of the company. If meetings lack accountability, then likely the organization does also, and a culture of poor performance becomes the norm. Upgrading your meetings will set in motion a cultural change that will have a lasting effect on the organization.

Establish a culture of accountability by: 1) training people in meeting skills, and 2) expecting all meetings to be conducted professionally.
Assure results for the critical meeting by: 1) retaining a professional Meeting Facilitator, and 2) creating a a good meeting plan.

Systems Engineering and Analysis
A holistic approach to design at the conceptual stage enables the balancing of many conflicting requirements and parameters.