$100M Greenfield Plant Startup — Delivered 2 Months Early
A Fortune 500 global manufacturer needed a new $100M production facility to meet demand that had surged 44% above forecast. We managed the supply chain planning, lean enterprise design, and launch execution — delivering milestones 2 months ahead of schedule.
The Challenge
Demand had surged 44% above forecast — from 5.4M to 9.6M square meters per month — and the existing plant was physically maxed out. Weekly allocation meetings determined which customers received material and which did not. Revenue was being turned away.
Production capacity was fully constrained despite multiple kaizen improvements to slitting, core cutting, and pack-out operations at the primary facility.
Weekly allocation meetings with the VP of Operations, planning, and sales were required to decide which customers would receive product — and which would not. Sales were being passed over, directly impacting revenue.
The board approved a $100M investment to build a new greenfield facility, with an original 18-month timeline that was compressed to 14 months, then again to 12 months due to the urgency of the capacity crisis.
A 75,000 SF transition warehouse had to be located, leased, and set up to stage all equipment, materials, lab equipment, forklifts, and warehouse racking before the new plant was built.
Global responsibility spanned 3 North American divisions and Asia, with a $3.3M annual budget under management.
Our Approach
We applied lean enterprise design principles to build the new plant right from the start — taking the kaizen improvements proven at the primary facility and embedding them directly into the new plant layout and processes.
Phase 1: Primary Plant Kaizen Blitz (Months 1-3)
Before touching the new plant, we attacked the primary facility first. A series of kaizen events targeted pack-out (+40% productivity, $943K annual savings), slitter changeover (42% SMED reduction), and core cutting (3x productivity from 300 to 900+ cores/day). These proven improvements became the blueprint for the new facility.
Phase 2: Transition Warehouse & Staging (Months 2-5)
Located and leased a 75,000 SF transition warehouse through industrial real estate contacts. Evaluated 10 candidate facilities across 3 locations. Staged all capital equipment, material, forklifts, lab equipment, warehouse racking — everything the new facility would need. This facility later became a permanent distribution center.
Phase 3: Lean Enterprise Design & Layout (Months 4-8)
Designed the entire lean enterprise plan for the new plant — material flow, silo requirements (changed 3 times during the project), point-of-use material locations, kanban systems, standard work, and visual management. Every best practice from the primary plant kaizens was built into the new layout from day one.
Phase 4: Launch Execution & Transition (Months 8-12)
Strategically removed all staged equipment and material from the transition warehouse and implemented it per design requirements. Coordinated with the project manager (responsible for the build timeline and budget) while we owned the processes, material, and lean execution. Recommended $35M capital equipment expansion to increase capacity from 40M to 70M square meters annually.
Results & Impact
The new $100M greenfield plant launched 2 months ahead of the compressed timeline, with lean systems embedded from day one. The transition warehouse became a permanent distribution facility, and capacity was positioned to grow from 40M to 70M square meters annually.
Original 18-month timeline compressed to 12 months — delivered 2 months ahead even of the compressed schedule
+40% productivity, 6 fewer technicians redeployed to slitting to produce more product
300 to 900+ cores/day through 5S, kanban, standard work, takt time, and visual controls
Slitter changeover time reduced by eliminating wait time during prep and introducing high-speed electric wrenches
Additional Outcomes
“We were turning away revenue every week because we physically could not make enough product. The new plant launched ahead of schedule with lean systems already in place — no ramp-up chaos, no re-learning. That is what program management looks like.”
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