Universal Forest Products of Canada Lted

TESTIMONY

Michel Guilbeault
General Manager of Operations

 


" The optimization, the kaizens and the accompaniment realized at UFPI have efficiently served to implement a rigorous and efficient lean optimizing system and a performance committee to follow and oversee our continuous improvement. SolutiA Management has greatly helped us and has been a major partner in our strategic planning and development. Despite our already very important workload, they have successfully minimized the work impact required by there rigour and optimized the results. We have regained control over our company, even though the softwood market is facing a major crisis. "

 

Business sector: Manufacturing, distribution and marketing of prefabricated wood walls, wood lattice and industrial wood products.

 

CONTEXT & PROBLEMATICS

 

  • Demand from USA Corporate to implement a CI system at the Lacolle plant;
  • Lack of plant efficiency regarding production processes;
  • No control over it's own sales, dictated from USA Corporate (cost center);
  • Risk of quality labor shortage;
  • Maturity of some of the products markets:
  • Need to strategically realign it's marketing strategies and offerings;

 

APPROACH

 

  • Lean manufacturing and FLO approach training;
  • Kaizen strategic FLO based on 4 strategic axes:
    1. Establishment of a CI management system;
    2. Implementation of a performance committee and it's management tools ;
    3. Establishment Key Performance Indicators (KPI);
    4. Development of a deployment plan.
  • Kaizen trainer course;
  • Turbo machines optimization project and maintenance;
  • Multiple optimizing projects carried out internally and autonomously;
  • Strategic subsidy research accompaniment;
  • Strategic marketing project and conversion of the Lacolle plant into a profit center with two salesmen;
  • Best Supervision and Management Practice Project (BSP & BMP).

 

RESULTS

 

  • Actual saving of the Lacolle plant and of it's 75 employees;
  • Return to profit$;
  • North American UFPI plants;
  • Leadership of it's CI and process optimization;
  • Development of new markets;
  • Internal communication improvement;
  • Strategic subsidy organizations' alignment and participation;
  • Autonomy and time scope increase to develop new market openings and new products;
  • New services and products, projects and business opportunities.

 

 







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