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Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)

Trillium Pumps USA Increases its Workforce

With the help of: California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC)

About

Trillium Pumps USA serves customers in the power, oil and gas, general industry, water, and wastewater sectors with highly engineered valves, pumps, and actuators. The company’s supply chain spans the globe, with key manufacturing and service centers located in Canada, China, France, India, Italy, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Trillium Pumps’ Fresno, California, operation has produced the Floway range of vertical pump products for 80 years. Manufacturing and fabrication activities from Trillium’s Salt Lake City plant were consolidated to Fresno starting in 2021.

The Challenge

Trillium Pumps USA experienced major growth and changes in 2020. Trillium’s Fresno plant was competing with another Trillium plant and was at risk of closing if the on-time delivery and performance did not improve. Company leaders reached out to CMTC, part of the MEP National Network™, with a request for assistance in pursuing Employment Training Panel (ETP) funds, implementing lean and leadership skills, and exploring ways to improve operations and increase cost efficiencies to stay competitive.
The benefits of working with CMTC extended well beyond the scope of learning the skills of Lean and Six Sigma principles. The ETP development assistance and Lean training resulted in improvements to our on-time deliveries and our ability to be more responsive to customers. The training helped us develop a confident team that can be the force of change in the business.
— Vera Haitayan, Vice President of Operations

MEP's Role

Throughout 2020, CMTC facilitated an ETP Single Employer Contract providing assistance for Trillium’s Fresno plant. CMTC brought together a team of local economic development professionals and secured a meeting with the director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. As a result, Trillium’s Fresno plant received approval for ETP “Critical Pathway” funding – a designation that targets industries with a growth mode and occupations associated with a company’s business expansion or new location.

 

CMTC also led a team of Trillium staff through the Lean Fundamentals Series Workshop from June-November 2020. The team updated a value stream process map; identified and communicated waste opportunities; used a data collection plan to understand operations, cycle times, and demand; and built a calculator to track how improvements could impact on-time delivery percentages. CMTC provided training and coaching throughout each step of the process.
Created February 1, 2024