https://www.sobo.ai/assets/ManufacturingProcessImprovement-Cw5h3Gwg.js

1import{j as t,L as e}from"./index-CwhY44Ud.js";import{I as s}from"./InsightArticleTemplate-Bs3CajTZ.js";import"./SEO-BfEh6Rtl.js";import"./Footer-DdH6jild.js";import"./NvidiaInceptionBadge-BWb_rvks.js";import"./linkedin-CBwNbQYy.js";import"./chevron-right-BbJPvrn5.js";import"./accordion-C20DjFqV.js";import"./index-CzGHbCqm.js";import"./robert-burke-headshot-BQ4Y3EAF.js";import"./arrow-right-noAvnvFt.js";import"./ConnectorStrip-0svr_m-T.js";import"./chart-column-A1mVHSDv.js";import"./calendar-Ca7010L4.js";import"./search-WZhGcVfO.js";import"./users-CzkGyqpi.js";import"./arrow-left-BUPNqmPi.js";const y=()=>t.jsxs(s,{title:"Manufacturing Process Improvement Consultants: Diagnose First | Sobo",metaDescription:"Manufacturing process improvement starts with the real constraint. Name it from your own throughput and margin data before you hire a consultant.",executiveSummary:"Manufacturing process improvement consultants charge $150–$300 per hour or $20K–$80K per project, and most start with weeks of discovery. The constraint is usually one of four things: throughput, scrap, changeover, or scheduling. Name which one from your own data first, then hire the specialist who fixes that one.",publishedDate:"2026-09-28",slug:"/insights/manufacturing-process-improvement",faq:[{question:"What do manufacturing process improvement consultants do?",answer:"They find where a plant loses throughput, margin, or time, then install the fix. Common scope: bottleneck analysis, scrap and rework reduction, changeover time, scheduling, and standard work. Good ones start from your production and cost data, not a lean template."},{question:"How much do manufacturing process improvement consultants cost?",answer:"Hourly work runs $150–$300. Scoped projects run $20K–$80K over 6–16 weeks. Embedded continuous-improvement leads run $10K–$20K per month. Discovery alone often costs $15K–$30K before any fix starts."},{question:"How do I know which process to improve first?",answer:"Look at the one step that limits output or eats the most margin. If throughput is capped, it is the constraint station. If output is fine but margin is shrinking, it is scrap, rework, or pricing. The free Operations IQ names it from your numbers in about 15 minutes."}],problemSolutionOutcome:{problem:"Output is flat, overtime is up, and margin is slipping. Consultants quote a 6-week discovery before they tell you anything.",solution:"Sobo reads your throughput, cost, and workflow inputs to name the single constraint, then matches an operator who has fixed that constraint in plants your size.",outcome:"Constraint named in minutes. Specialist matched in 48–72 hours. Engagement scoped to one measurable fix."},diagnoseMatchResolve:{diagnose:"Operations IQ names the constraint: throughput, scrap, changeover, or scheduling",match:"Process improvement specialist matched on industry, plant size, and the named constraint",resolve:"Fixed-scope project against one metric, not an open-ended retainer"},successMetrics:[{value:"$20–80K",label:"Typical consultant project"},{value:"15 min",label:"Free constraint diagnosis"},{value:"48–72h",label:"Diagnosis to matched specialist"}],resolutionScorecard:[{metric:"Discovery",traditional:"4–6 weeks on site, $15K–$30K",sobo:"15-minute diagnostic, free"},{metric:"Starting point",traditional:"Generic lean assessment",sobo:"Your throughput and margin data"},{metric:"Scope",traditional:"Plant-wide program",sobo:"One named constraint"},{metric:"Specialist fit",traditional:"Whoever the firm staffs",sobo:"Matched on the constraint and plant size"}],scorecardLabel:{sobo:"Sobo Diagnose-First",traditional:"Traditional Process Consultant"},children:[t.jsx("h2",{id:"four-constraints",children:"The Four Constraints Behind Most Plant Problems"}),t.jsxs("table",{children:[t.jsx("thead",{children:t.jsxs("tr",{children:[t.jsx("th",{children:"Constraint"}),t.jsx("th",{children:"Symptom you see"}),t.jsx("th",{children:"Data that confirms it"})]})}),t.jsxs("tbody",{children:[t.jsxs("tr",{children:[t.jsx("td",{children:"Throughput"}),t.jsx("td",{children:"Orders backing up, overtime rising"}),t.jsx("td",{children:"Queue time at one station, utilization above 85%"})]}),t.jsxs("tr",{children:[t.jsx("td",{children:"Scrap and rework"}),t.jsx("td",{children:"Output fine, margin shrinking"}),t.jsx("td",{children:"Scrap rate, rework hours, cost per good unit"})]}),t.jsxs("tr",{children:[t.jsx("td",{children:"Changeover"}),t.jsx("td",{children:"Short runs kill capacity"}),t.jsx("td",{children:"Setup minutes per run, runs per shift"})]}),t.jsxs("tr",{children:[t.jsx("td",{children:"Scheduling"}),t.jsx("td",{children:"Late orders despite idle capacity"}),t.jsx("td",{children:"On-time delivery vs. machine idle time"})]})]})]}),t.jsx("h2",{id:"why-consultants-stall",children:"Why Process Improvement Projects Stall"}),t.jsx("p",{children:"Most projects stall because they fix the wrong step. A plant-wide lean program improves ten stations when one station caps output. The other nine gains don't reach the P&L. Pick the constraint first and every hour of consulting goes to the step that limits revenue."}),t.jsx("h2",{id:"before-you-hire",children:"Before You Hire a Consultant"}),t.jsxs("p",{children:["Get three numbers: output per shift at the slowest station, scrap cost as a share of revenue, and on-time delivery rate. If you can't pull them, that gap is the first fix. For the broader service view, see ",t.jsx(e,{to:"/insights/small-business-operations-consultant",children:"process improvement consulting for small business"})," and the ",t.jsx(e,{to:"/case-studies/sci-manufacturing",children:"SCI Manufacturing case study"}),"."]}),t.jsx("h2",{id:"get-started",children:"Name the Constraint First"}),t.jsxs("p",{children:["Run the free ",t.jsx(e,{to:"/free-trial",children:"diagnostic"})," or go straight to ",t.jsx(e,{to:"/operations-assessment",children:"Operations IQ"}),". Your data, not industry averages. Then decide whether you need a consultant at all."]})]});

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