OrthoCare Labs    |   Process Improvement
OrthoCare Labs was preparing to move into a new facility, and needed assistance with developing the most efficient process configuration.  It had been using a traditional batch manufacturing process, but this was inefficient and sometimes led to mix-ups in the custom orders. The owner had heard of lean techniques, and wanted to set up the new facility to take advantage of lean processes, boost quality and improve turnaround time. Learn more

Hollingsworth & Vose    |   Lean, ISO 9001
The Hollingsworth & Vose headquarters established a number of corporate objectives, including adoption of lean and quality processes. The facility in Hawkinsville, which primarily manufactures non-woven media for the filtration market, also needed assistance with the recertification of ISO 9001, an international quality management system, and AS 9100, a quality management standard specifically written for the aerospace industry. Learn more

Hoshizaki    |   Continuous Improvement
The Peachtree City, Ga. facility of Hoshizaki America — a manufacturer of commercial ice makers, dispensers, refrigerators and related products — recently cut its costs by more than $7 million and increased productivity by 75 percent through implementation of a continuous improvement system. Learn more

Terrapin Beer Company    |   Small Business
Terrapin Beer Company was born when two brewers met while working together at a microbrewery in Atlanta. Terrapin introduced its first beer, the Rye Pale Ale in April of 2002. Six months later, only available on draft in Athens, Terrapin’s sole offering won the American Pale Ale Gold Medal at the 2002 Great American Beer Festival. Today, the nine-year-old company has a 40,000-square-foot brewing facility in Athens and employs 30 people. Learn more

Maddie’s World    |   Small Business
Parents Donna and Joe Lefcourt created Maddie’s World after their first-hand experience with premature birth. Their daughter, Maddie, faced a number of developmental issues that had the potential to affect her motor skills. That’s when Donna’s motherly intuition gave her the idea to form a company that could help children like Maddie. Maddie’s World manufactures appropriately-sized toys – a critical way babies’ motor skills grow and develop – for premature and small infants. Learn more

Groov-Pin    |   Lean, Kaizen
Groov-Pin is a manufacturer of engineered fasteners in Newnan, Ga., with corporate headquarters in Smithfield, R.I. Groov-Pin Corporation was founded in 1926 to address a growing market for patented press fit fasteners used in a wide variety of industries, including food processing, irrigation, automotive, aerospace and military, among others. Over the years, the company has played a leading role in establishing commercial and military standards for engineered fasteners. Learn more