Mesa Laboratories: Growing and Thriving Through Commitment to Continuous Learning and Ongoing Partnership with Local MEP Center

Mesa Laboratories, Inc., is a Denver-based company known for their high-quality monitoring instruments and consumables that cater to the needs of a wide variety of industries, including medical, industrial, pharmaceutical, and food processing. Their offerings include mail-in spore testing kits, DryCal Gas Flow Calibrators, products used for measuring and recording temperature, humidity, and pressure called the DataTrace Data Loggers, and a line of dialysate meters, including the best-selling pHoenix XL meter.

Established in 1982, Mesa Labs has an extensive track record of continuous learning and commitment to excellence. Mesa has partnered with Manufacturer’s Edge, a representative of the MEP National Network, on a number of occasions, most recently to help successfully launch the pHoenix XL meter in 2018. Since that time, they have also acquired a number of other medical supply companies and increased the size of their workforce. As the Vice President of Operations Bryan Leo says, “We are a continuously learning company and we push ourselves to grow in size and scope without sacrificing quality. The goal is to keep improving and pushing forward. You go from 85 to 90%. Okay, now how do you go from 90 to 93%?” Already familiar with the services offered through Manufacturer’s Edge,  part of the MEP National Network™, having previously partnered in the training and implementation of lean methods, Mesa Labs was eager to reconnect and determine how Manufacturer’s Edge could help them continue to improve. 

The recent engagement consisted of building on their lean foundation by working with the leadership team to build a lean strategy through the Lean Management Systems tool set, as well as having a new focus through geometric dimensioning and tolerance as well as Toyota Kata. Mesa Labs also implemented Training Within Industry (TWI) to grow their middle management’s leadership skills. The combination of these tools allowed Mesa Labs to onboard new employees while also refining the skills previously acquired by the company as a whole without missing a beat while also adopting new skills to continually improve their business. This engagement also serves as an excellent example of how a company can partner with their local Manufacturing Extension Partnership resource in a mindful and purposeful manner to maintain a firm commitment to continuous learning and improvement regardless of fluctuations in workforce, products, and other variables.