Groov-Pin’s operations manager, Scott Bunn, began working with the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) at Georgia Tech to incorporate lean manufacturing processes. “There are so many changes that we’ve made for the better from an efficiency standpoint and streamlining of all of our processes,” he said.

Lean manufacturing was adopted in both of Groov-Pin’s facilities in Smithfield, Rhode Island, and Newnan, Georgia. Grooved pins and threaded inserts are manufactured in the Georgia facility while custom screw machine parts are made in Rhode Island.

“We learned from others in our lean process and after a year and a half, we began giving back by hosting tours of our own facility and sharing ideas. We’ve even taken it to state government,” said Scot Jones, Groov-Pin’s CEO.

One of the strategies implemented was kaizen, which encourages continuous improvement of working practices and efficiency by improving communication and reducing wasted effort. This eventually led to employees sharing ideas and developing their own strategies to make their spaces better. Some of the employee-driven developments helped Groov-Pin retain its competitive advantage, even through trying economic times.

We continue to work with lean principles in both facilities and bring new lean manufacturing principles to the larger community by helping with business accelerators and serving organizations in the community.