Operational Excellence Foundation Provides for Future Growth

The J&J Machine Company focuses on precision prototyping and production for the medical, aerospace, scientific and commercial sectors, with a diverse customer base in many industries including R&D, optics, photonics, microwave communications, battery technologies, metrology and semiconductor manufacturing. The company is ISO 9001:2015 certified, 13485 certified, ITAR registered, RoHS compliant, and known for manufacturing high-quality, American-made products on time and at a fair price. In 2022, J&J Machine was named the Massachusetts Small Manufacturer of the Year by the Small Business Association.

As a relatively new business owner, Devin Brown was eager to find consultants who could share tried-and-true solutions so that he didn’t have to discover them on his own. He developed an ongoing relationship with MassMEP, part of the MEP National Network™. As he focused forward, he reached out to MassMEP again in order to organize the shop, improve safety, become ISO AS 9100 certified, learn to utilize custom databases, improve scheduling and better manage tooling. MassMEP provided assistance in applying for a Workforce Training Fund Grant that would cover these areas.

Improving safety and developing a more efficient workflow were both high priorities for the engagement. To set the training schedule, a safety consultant and a facilities consultant toured J&J on the same day. The consultants recommended J&J receive 5S training and support at the beginning of the project, starting by cleaning and organizing the existing space by utilizing the 5S framework. The results were transformative.

After applying 5S to the shop, J&J and the MassMEP consultants moved on to the tools, resulting in big savings. The process helped J&J with their purchasing workflow and added controls to the processes related to tooling. The company spends over $100,000 per year on tooling, so having the controls was very helpful, as they had been reordering tools that they had been unable to locate.

Having a tried-and-true safety professional lay out a comprehensive safety map was enlightening and effective. Overall, the 5S training improved their process and made the shop cleaner, safer, and more inviting to employees and customers. J&J found workspace it didn’t know it had.

Database training was a key business need, because many aspects of data collection required by ISO are not native to ERP systems. With database training, J&J was able to construct a system that tracks key performance indicators and other critical information, such as vendor performance, customer information, on-time delivery, cost of quality and maintenance schedules - all elements that ISO auditors review.