GA Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) Georgia Tech

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Menu
  • Who We Are
    • About the GaMEP IconAbout Us
      Learn more about GaMEP
    • GaMEP Purpose IconGaMEP Purpose
      Discover how GaMEP can help you advance your manufacturing goals
    • Multiple-people-3Meet the GaMEP Team
      Get to know the team that helps more than 1,000 manufacturers succeed each year
    • Close
  • What We Do
    • Southeast Energy Management Program IconLeadership Development
      Give your new and existing leaders the tools to succeed
    • Business Growth IconStrategic Growth
      Identify and develop new business opportunities
    • Technology Services by GaMEP IconTechnology
      Integrate technology to grow your competitiveness and gain new business
    • Lean and Process Improvement Services by GaMEP IconLean and Process Improvement
      Reduce waste and improve productivity, allowing you to take on new business
    • Quality Services by GaMEP IconQuality
      Enhance the quality of your products and increase customer satisfaction
    • Energy Services by GaMEP IconEnergy
      Generate energy cost savings at your facility
    • Environmental Services by GaMEP IconEnvironmental
      Improve your environmental footprint and increase profitability
    • Close
  • How We Work
    • Onsite Implementation Services by GaMEP IconOnsite & Virtual Implementation
      Implement cost savings and business growth solutions throughout your plant
    • Training Services by GaMEP IconTraining
      Learn about GaMEP's open-enrollment courses
    • Magnifying Glass IconIndustry Focus Areas
      GaMEP's offers industry-specific initiatives and expertise for food and automotive manufacturing
    • Events by GaMEP IconEvents
      Find events throughout Georgia
    • Peer-to-peer Learning by GaMEP IconPeer-to-Peer Learning
      Join the Advanced Manufacturing Consortium or the CEO Forum and benchmark with other manufacturers
    • Connection to Georgia Tech IconConnection to Georgia Tech Resources
      Uniting manufacturers with GaMEP at Georgia Tech Connections
    • Close
  • How We Make A Difference
    • GaMEP Success Stories IconSuccess Stories
      Discover the positive impact GaMEP has made on Georgia manufacturers
    • GaMEP Statewide Impact IconStatewide Impact
      Learn how GaMEP's reach extends throughout the state
    • Champion of Manufacturing IconChampion for Manufacturing
      See how GaMEP serves as a voice to and for manufacturing in Georgia
    • Economic Development IconEconomic Development
      Understand how GaMEP's close ties to the manufacturing community promote Georgia's economic growth
    • dashboardGeorgia Manufacturing Data Dashboard
      See a a snapshot of how the state's economy is performing in the manufacturing sector
    • Coronavirus IconCoronavirus Resources
      Find COVID-19 information and resources
    • Close
  • Connect with Us
    • GaMEP Regional Locations IconRegional Locations
      Contact your local region manager
    • Read the GaMEP Blog IconRead Our Blog
      Stay up-to-date on the latest information for manufacturers
    • Sign-up for the GaMEP Newsletter IconSign up for Manufacturing Connect!
      Sign-up to receive GaMEP's newsletter, "Manufacturing Connect"
    • Contact the GaMEP IconContact Us
      Get in touch with GaMEP
    • Close

Success Story – Lee Container

Click here for more information on Lean and Process Improvement Services.

Click here for more information on Energy Services.

Contact Your Region Manager

Results

Since beginning work with GaMEP, Lee Container has:

  • Improved communication, teamwork, and morale by implementing MDI.
  • Reduced their changeover time by 38%, which will save the company approximately $68,000 per year.
  • Invested over $16,000 in equipment upgrades, including conversion to LED lighting and improvements to HVAC systems.
  • Lowered the company’s energy costs by over $27,000 per year, which has already paid back the initial investment.
  • Used the data and information gathered to help them make decisions about future equipment expenditures, process improvement strategies, and energy management goals.
  • Hosted a benchmarking event to share what they have learned with other companies in South Georgia.

Customer Profile

In 1989, Donald Lee opened the doors of Lee Container in Valdosta, Georgia, and began making blown plastic bottles for customers in various industries including automotive and agricultural chemical products. In just four years, the company’s business had outgrown its current facility and Lee moved the company into a new space in his hometown of Homerville, Georgia, expanding from three production lines to seventeen.

Since that time, the company has continued to grow. It now employs over 250 people in Homerville and has also purchased facilities in Iowa and Texas. Robert Varnedoe, a family member and one of the original Lee Container employees, became president in 2012.

Situation

In 2017, Varnedoe began to think that there were opportunities to cut costs and improve the plant’s productivity during their set-up and changeover process. Lee Container has been a long-time member of the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) at Georgia Tech’s Advanced Manufacturing Consortium (AMC), so he asked Hank Hobbs, GaMEP South Georgia region manager, for help implementing some of the tools discussed at the AMC meetings and other trainings that they had attended throughout the years.

Solution

After visiting the plant and speaking with Varnedoe about the company’s needs, Hobbs recommended the Managing for Daily Improvement (MDI) system of communication and management. Working with Charity Stevens, GaMEP project manager, a team of employees designed and installed four MDI boards, at strategically selected production lines. These boards aimed to help the team track production numbers, provide information and reminders to staff, and create a place to note issues that needed to be resolved.

Then, each day the management team walked the floor, using the boards as a guide for short meetings with the staff working on each of the selected production lines. The information collected during these meetings pointed to opportunities for improvement during the set-up and changeover process between product lines, but also helped them find opportunities to lower costs in other ways.

“Even if the company already has a good idea of where they could improve, MDI gives them a good foundation and data that can help them find all of the factors that contribute to the results that they are currently seeing. Then, rather than just focusing on a point solution that may not give them the long-term results that they desire, we can take an approach that helps them improve their entire system,” said Stevens.

Stevens returned and helped the team complete a Single Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED) event, videoing and analyzing the changeover between product lines on a certain machine. This event led to a significant decrease in scrap and downtime, while improving the utilization and safety of the workspace.

In addition, Hobbs helped the company set up a no-cost energy and sustainability assessment, provided by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Industrial Assessment Center (IAC). Because the plant’s utility bills were often over a million dollars annually, the company thought they may be able to lower their costs even more, by implementing better energy management practices.

After an initial questionnaire and interview, a team of students and engineers from the Georgia-North Florida IAC, thoroughly reviewed Lee Container’s utility bills. Then, they visited the plant and utilized equipment such as infrared cameras and probes, to collect data and assess the company’s operations and equipment.

A few weeks later, they provided the company with a comprehensive report including information about the current energy use at each production line, as well as other parts of the facility such as, warehousing and office areas. The report also included five Assessment Recommendations with estimated costs and payback periods. The recommendations ranged from simple investments in insulation to installation of a solar array, but all calculated a payback period of less than five years.

In the next year, the company plans to continue working on projects to improve the company based on the information gathered through the IAC report and their ongoing practice of MDI.

“I can’t say enough good things about our experience working with Georgia Tech and the IAC. We have already implemented many of their recommendations and have seen great results.” – Robert Varnedoe, president

Download the Lee Container Success Story Flyer.

Copyright © 2023 · Georgia Tech - Enterprise Innovation Institute