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New Facility with Optimized Operations Positions Costume Specialists for Growth
With the help of: Ohio Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Ohio MEP)
About
Founded in 1983, Columbus, Ohio, Costume Specialists is the world’s only custom mascot character company to manufacture both foam and inflatable costumes. The company has created, produced, and maintains some of the most recognizable mascots on the planet for entertainment and corporate clients. The 35-person company is based in a multi-story 20,000 square-foot-facility in downtown Columbus.
The Challenge
Coming out of the pandemic, Costume Specialists was facing operational challenges with their space in the downtown facility. They turned to the MEP at CSCC to help them with a facility optimization and operational efficiency project. As part of the project, the Ohio MEP team developed a plan for a future single level facility and determined what Costume Specialists would need in a facility.
The facility layout and optimization projects were vital at the time as we were facing challenges in our operations, but the real value was the outside perspective that the Ohio MEP and its partners brought and the insights that look forward provided what we needed in our next facility. That exercise was the catalyst that laid the groundwork for our seeking and finding a 22,000 sq ft facility with room for expansion that will position Costume Specialists for the future.
MEP's Role
The MEP at Columbus State, part of the Ohio MEP and the MEP National Network™, and its partner Mainspring Solutions worked through the facility and operational optimization exercise with the Costume Specialists team. The process took several weeks, and Costume Specialists was able to facilitate the movement of equipment and work cells and streamline operations. The added benefit of the future layout concept led leadership to seek an optimal facility for future growth. Although it took nearly two years to find a new facility on the west side of Columbus, this will position the company for continued growth and increased profitability going forward.
Created July 29, 2023