Leaders from Botanical Designs, Skagit Farmers Supply Agronomy Division, Skagit Horticulture, and T&L Nursery worked together for one year to apply Lean in each others’ organizations. Reports from the year showed gains that exceeded expectations:
- 67% productivity increase on a sedum trimming process at Skagit Horticulture, with 75 percent reduction in people travel.
- 408% productivity gain for racking plants for installation jobs with Botanical Designs. The company cut lead time 81 percent, reduced people travel 75 percent, and eliminated $4,500 worth of unneeded inventory.
- Reduced setup time by 67 percent at Skagit Horticulture’s Riverbend site, with a 26 percent shorter lead time and 23 percent smaller crew size for transplanting product. This team improved overall productivity 25 percent on the process.
- Cut 5.25 seconds per plant at T & L Nursery in the process of pulling, cleaning, labeling and moving product to shipping racks.
- 98% shorter lead time for truck loading at Botanical Designs’ Holiday Warehouse. By developing standard work, the process now deploys less than half the number of people and virtually eliminates errors.
- Improved productivity 129 percent on a trimming process at T&L Nursery, reducing lead time by 58 percent.
- 43% fewer process steps for managing inventory at Skagit Farmers Supply Agronomy North facility, with less paperwork, fewer errors, and better communication between departments.
Lean is a proven method for eliminating waste. It results in more value to customers, delivered at a lower cost, in a shorter time, with fewer defects and less human effort. Deployed effectively, Lean not only reduces waste, but brings a strong message of long-term commitment to employee development and continuous improvement.