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Garreco Grows Their Business with the Help of AEDC Manufacturing Solutions

About

As one of the leading manufacturers of dental gypsum and abrasive products, Garreco takes great pride in the quality and consistency of their products. Located in Heber Springs, Arkansas, with 45 employees, Garreco's manufacturing process is ISO 13485 certified and uses only the best raw materials, which are carefully formulated for exacting product standards and superior performance. In addition to their core dental business, Garreco also produces products for the fields of aerospace, jewelry casting, forensics, taxidermy, special effects and hobby.

The Challenge

Garreco needed to increase their plant output because the company was turning away new sales. For help, company leadership turned to Arkansas Economic Development Commission Manufacturing Solutions (AEDC-MS), part of the MEP National Network™.
The project was a huge success that resulted in an increase in sales, improving the fulfilling of existing and new orders. Cost savings were realized through decrease labor and scrap rates as well as the avoidance of buying the planned new machinery. With the help of AEDC Manufacturing Solutions, we continue to use this approach to improve our efficiencies and increase our output. AEDC-MS is an extremely valuable resource partner and has been a significant contributor to our sales growth and profitability.
— Bob O'Neal, CEO

MEP's Role

After evaluating a plan to eliminate a major bottleneck by purchasing new machinery, AEDC-MS began researching how current equipment could be modified. Previous owners of the company had begun modifications to the existing equipment but abandoned the project before completion. AEDC-MS used these previous modifications as a starting point and, after identifying the potential of the existing setup, modernized that equipment. As a result, Garreco achieved both significant savings due to the avoided investment and also increased sales after eliminating the troublesome bottleneck.

Created April 27, 2021, Updated July 16, 2022