Florida MEP: Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 5, 2008

For more information please contact:
Gene Lussier
Board Chair, Florida MEP
954-565-0047

LEAN PRINCIPLES TAKE HOLD OF SHURHOLD
Florida MEP Helps Martin County Manufacturing Company Kick Off Lean Initiative

Palm City, FL - Shurhold Industries, a family-owned business in Palm City, Florida has been a designer and manufacturer of innovative specialty care broom and brush products to clean items such as RVs, trucks and boats since 1973. Their business has seen much growth through the years, and in order to keep up with the massive amounts of orders they receive, Barry Berhoff, President, thought the best way to maximize their production process was to invite the Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Florida MEP) to conduct a Lean training workshop.

“I decided to bring in Phyllis Morese and the Florida MEP team because I wanted everyone at Shurhold to understand how important a Lean shop can be,” said Berhoff. “Also, bringing in someone from the outside gave us a new perspective on how to do things.”

“We conducted two full days of Time Wise® Lean 101 training with the whole company. We began with their production line for snap-on brushes and showed them some simple methods to eliminate waste and even reduce costs,” said Morese. “We demonstrated ways for the participants to think creatively and make decisions that will directly impact the process flow of the manufacturing floor.”

With just some simple changes, Berhoff said he began to see more requests for re-orders than in previous months.

“I believe we can attribute the Lean training to all the re-orders we have received, and of course, keeping our orders filled on time. Our team learned how to work smarter,” added Berhoff. “In fact, months later, the Florida MEP was offering an open class in the community, and we sent some of our new employees to participate. And that worked out very well. We have seen a big difference at Shurhold, thanks to the Florida MEP.”

About Florida MEP
The Florida MEP is an affiliate of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) under the U.S. Department of Commerce. The national MEP is a network of manufacturing extension centers that provide business and technical assistance to smaller manufacturers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Through MEP, manufacturers have access to more than 2000 manufacturing and business “coaches” whose job is to help firms make changes that lead to greater productivity, increased profits, and enhanced global competitiveness. For more information on the Florida MEP program call 321-939-4000.

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