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Adapting and Improving in the Additive Manufacturing Space
With the help of: South Dakota Manufacturing and Technology Solutions
About
At B9Creations in Rapid City, South Dakota, the company's 50 employees manufacture precision 3D printers, parts, and services that are used in industries ranging from medical, dental, aerospace, industrial, jewelry and beyond. Touting turnkey simplicity, precision parts in minutes, repeatable performance, and proven ROI, their additive manufacturing solutions drive innovation, help future-proof their customers’ supply chain, and give them a competitive edge. The pandemic has led to rapid growth for the company, giving them the opportunity to have customers like Medtronic and others sing their praises.
The Challenge
As the business grew and started on a lean transformation journey, they reached out to South Dakota Manufacturing and Technology Solutions (MTS), part of the MEP National Network™, in 2016 to have a partner supporting their journey.
What I enjoy about MTS is they’re focused on the things that are important for manufacturers to grow. Working with MTS and teaching Lean principles specifically fits our culture, which is all about continuous improvement. It all resonates strongly because additive manufacturing is always adapting, developing, and changing. The technology we produce has to as well and people internally have to support that.
MEP's Role
In partnership with MTS, the company has now offered the Lean 101 course to their entire team on multiple occasions. By introducing lean concepts to everyone from office administration to manufacturing employees, in the entire value stream, B9Creations has evolved to understand knowing lean principles in all roles can help all parts of the company. MTS also helped recently facilitate a sales improvement process to bring standardization to their growing sales team and help grow their sales funnel.