Manufacturing Strategy & Continuous Improvement
Manufacturing Under Pressure
Manufacturers today are under siege — from all sides. Competitive knockoffs, faster processes, leaner rivals, shifting consumer demands, compliance mandates, supply chain instability, and chronic talent shortages are testing even the most resilient operations.
For mid-sized manufacturers, the stakes are especially high. Many find themselves stuck between the need to scale and the difficulty of holding on to existing customers. And when they do invest in modernization, 84% of senior executives report that those projects fail to meet expectations.
When you're spending millions — or tens of millions — a 16% success rate isn’t just frustrating. It’s unsustainable.
A Smarter Path Forward
Sparrow and Associates helps manufacturers beat those odds. We work with you to:
- Ground your growth strategy in real data from your operations,
- Improve current performance while building scalable, future-ready structures,
- Identify and close process and personnel gaps, and
- Align priorities with your mission, vision, and goals — not just what's urgent.
We don’t just optimize the business you have. We help you build the one you want — with a clear, confident path to get there.
Services
Business Transformation
Our hallmark Everlean Business Transformation program is the perfect solution for seasoned manufacturers who have struggled to increase revenues or as an assessment and improvement tool for newly acquired companies.
Cultural Assessment
Culture eats strategy for breakfast. According to a Standish study 84% of major improvement projects do not achieve their goals. One of the largest barriers to success is cultural resistance. Before you start on a major project, let us assess your culture, and identify opportunities and strategies for improvement that will significantly improve your project's chances of sustainable success.
Operational Assessment
Operational Assessment
Enterprise Value Stream Mapping exercises explore the movements of data and material, exposing waste across your business. Every facet of the business is explored in a current state study, and it is contrasted with a "future state" based on a mixture of current best practice and your business aspirations. You'll gain a comprehensive understanding of your business and a prioritized improvement plan.
M & A Consulting
Operational Assessment
Fit matters.
Are you interested in expanding your business through acquisition? Don't roll the dice. We can help you to determine the cultural fit and true value of the opportunity you're considering. As important, we can help you to estimate your ability to improve that value if you proceed.
Not the best fit? We might also be able to point you in the direction of an appropriate opportunity or two.
Sales Training
Are your representatives and agents struggling with keeping up with your new capabilities. Partner Selling is a powerful course that teaches your sales and marketing team Challenger Sales techniques combined with 3D Negotiation and customized to your industry segment. Using real world cases, we show how to use Design Thinking to adapt to and capture new markets.
Investment Studies
Are you about to invest millions in capital equipment, solutions, or infrastructure. Let us help you to ratify that decision with a comprehensive investment study. Using current state data we'll help you to determine the appropriateness of the investment and timing, weigh it against other priorities, explore alternatives and forecast potential outcomes, risks, and countermeasures. We'll even help you to explore available grants to reduce the cost of your initiative. You'll make your decision based on a comprehensive data-backed study.
Lean Six Sigma Training
Lean Six Sigma Training
Lean Six Sigma Training
The average manufacturing plant is rife with wasteful practices and "hidden factories." Lean Six Sigma training and mentoring, for key employees, can significantly improve your Overall Equipment Effectiveness, and dramatically reduce defects and missed deadlines. We can train and certify Black Belt practitioners in your plant using your improvement targets as kaizen exercises.
Succession Planning
Lean Six Sigma Training
Lean Six Sigma Training
You've had a long and successful run and you're thinking about retiring in the next few years. Whether you're wanting to sell or pass your business along to successors, there is a lot to think about. We'll help you prepare for the best possible outcomes.
Digital Transformation
Lean Six Sigma Training
Digital Transformation
There are tremendous efficiencies to be gained through automation, connected ecosystems, robotics, and robotic process automation. It's also a great place to spend a lot of money for little practical return. The difference between high and low returns is preparation. We can do a digital transformation assessment, giving you a comprehensive roadmap of recommended prework and activities to ensure your investment produces the desired outcomes and is amortized quickly.