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MANUFACTURING OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE CONSULTING

UNLOCK LASTING MANUFACTURING IMPROVEMENTS

Our proven approach drives operational excellence by engaging associates, guiding change, and empowering teams with practical methods and ongoing feedback. Experience streamlined processes, enhanced productivity, and a culture of continuous improvement—delivering measurable results for your facility.

Defining Operational Excellence

The Milliken Performance System (MPS)

Operational excellence can be interpreted in many ways. For us, it begins with a foundation of safety and strategic clarity, supported by ten key components.

FOUNDATIONS OF OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

Focused Improvement

Focused improvement projects follow a systematic methodology designed to identify root causes and address opportunities for reducing or eliminating losses. These initiatives not only generate funding but also enhance the capability of processes.

Continuous Development

This standardized training process ensures that all associates perform tasks correctly and consistently every time. By focusing on key areas, organizations experience reduced process variation, lower turnover, and decreased overall training costs.

The 5S Process

The 5S process goes beyond housekeeping; it organizes and maintains the workplace to enhance manufacturing productivity and safety, reduce waste, and eliminate non-value-added activities for all associates.

Daily Team Maintenance

Daily team maintenance (DTM) empowers operators to prevent equipment breakdowns and quality issues, improving reliability and efficiency. By reducing minor stops, breakdowns, and changeover time, DTM drives operational excellence and supports continuous improvement in manufacturing performance.

Planned Maintenance

For reliability and continuous improvement, a combination of preventative, predictive, and zero failure activities is essential for planned maintenance. Maintenance technicians, leadership, and engineers collaborate to oversee maintenance schedules, proactively addressing issues before they arise.

Daily Management System

The daily management system (DMS) drives aligned action and operational excellence by connecting strategy to daily activities. DMS uses cascaded KPIs, standardized work, regular reviews, and layered audits to ensure teams achieve business objectives and deliver measurable results.

Production Flow

Production flow aims to reduce overall manufacturing costs by eliminating system waste in operational processes and aligning business offerings with manufacturing execution. It enhances working capital, inventory management, variable conversion costs, capacity utilization, and more.

Quality Management

This systematic methodology achieves zero quality defects by identifying and eliminating the root causes of all defects. Quality management (QM) elevates organizational processes from reliability to capability.

Early Equipment Management

Early equipment management boosts reliability and stability by eliminating startup losses before they occur. Using measurement data and a structured process, teams reduce startup time, lower costs, and achieve operational excellence—delivering faster, more efficient equipment performance for your facility.

New Product Development

Concurrent New Product Development unites key functions early to plan, design, and manufacture efficiently—ensuring products meet customer needs and internal success metrics for faster launches and stronger market impact.

REAL-WORLD EXPERTISE. REAL RESULTS.

Tested Solutions

Evolved from our own manufacturing practices, we’ve studied methodologies from around the globe and used that knowledge to create a real-world system that enhances other approaches. The Milliken Performance System is an extension of the expertise we've gained through years of implementing these processes. We don’t just teach solutions—we live them.

Demonstrated Practices

We understand that the best way to learn is by doing. That’s why we provide real-life demonstrations of our processes. Our “Accommodate, Educate, and Demonstrate” program brings key decision makers and influencers to our Spartanburg, South Carolina headquarters for an immersive visit. During this time, we review our processes and detail what implementation looks like.

Experienced Practitioners

Why “practitioners” instead of “consultants”? Because decades of personal experience implementing the Milliken Performance System set our experts apart from those in systems like Six Sigma and lean manufacturing. Our practitioners go beyond offering good advice—they are specialists who have walked in your shoes, studied their vocations, practiced their professions, and established strong working relationships with clients.

Group of associates collaborating on plant floor

Continuous Improvement and a Culture of Safety

No single solution can address the evolving challenges of tomorrow. We've spent the past two decades learning from the best practices across all industries, developing a holistic approach that enhances efficiency and productivity. We embrace a comprehensive strategy that goes beyond basic best practices to deliver lasting results.

THE RAPID IMPROVEMENT APPROACH (RIA) DELIVERING RESULTS

Seeking immediate performance improvements on a specific asset? Whether driven by sales, schedule attainment, performance, return on invested capital (ROIC) challenges, or plans to sunset idle equipment or locations across the network, we’ll tailor our strategy and collaborate with your team to achieve short-term wins.

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Doubling Speed, OEE, and Reliability

RockTenn (WestRock), a leading producer of corrugated and consumer packaging, as well as recycling solutions, partnered with us to adopt a customized version of the MPS.

How RockTenn Doubled their Speed OEE and Reliability

Zero-Loss Thinking

Discover the mindset that challenges manufacturers to recognize the full scale of losses—those hidden in everyday failures—and move beyond “budget thinking.” By reframing what’s possible, zero-loss thinking opens the door to transformative improvement.

The Importance of Zero-Loss Thinking in Business

Operational Excellence–Based Culture

Learn how when employee ownership meets operational excellence, the organization functions in harmony, empowering every employee to commit to shared objectives and goals.

Importance of an Operational Excellence based Culture

4Ms of Operations Management

Learn how utilizing the 4Ms framework can help your organization drive root cause analysis, reduce variation, empower frontline problem solvers, and resolve operational barriers.

4Ms of Operations Management

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