New Hampshire-Based PACE LLC Leads Upstate NY Manufacturer to Record Growth
Auburn, NH (PRWEB) August 13, 2015 -- PACE LLC, an Auburn, NH-based firm specializing in providing its clients guidance and assistance with lean manufacturing techniques, announced today that its proprietary PACE (Productivity And Capacity Excellence) system for implementing lean 6 sigma manufacturing has resulted in record growth for Oneida Air Systems, a Syracuse-NY-based manufacturer of industry-leading dust collection systems.
Oneida Air Systems (OAS) has long been known in its industry for offering quality and innovative dust collection systems, which are a necessity in both home and commercial woodshops for health and safety reasons. Unlike many of its competitors, it has been committed to American manufacture of its products since its inception in 1993. In a move to secure continued growth for the company by strengthening its commitment to American manufacturing, PACE LLC Founder & Lean 6 Sigma Master Black Belt Christopher Guerrera joined OAS in June 2011 as CEO and immediately began implementation of his proprietary PACE system. PACE is a 90 day program that focuses on bringing the benefits and financial results that larger companies experience with lean 6 sigma manufacturing to smaller companies via Guerrera’s method of fine tuning the implementation to both the company and the industry. Since the completion of its PACE implementation in 2011, Oneida Air Systems has tripled its sales revenue, an achievement that will result in the hire of 60 new employees over the next year.
Guerrera comments, “Oneida Air Systems is a company that takes great pride in successfully developing and manufacturing the highest quality products in the industry and offering world class customer support. Building on that strong foundation, we implemented PACE to improve quality, reduce lead times, increase inventory turns, and increase gross profit for the benefit of all customers and employees.” Guerrera previously served in leadership roles at Ingersoll Rand, Ford Motor Company, BMW and Mack Truck, and pioneered the PACE system during his tenure as Plant Manager of BMW’s interior group, Sommer Allibert. Guerrera added, “It was part of my responsibility at Sommer Allibert to implement Just-in-Time Live Broadcast Manufacturing, which would ultimately become the predecessor of the PACE system I’ve implemented at Oneida Air Systems with great success. Within three months of PACE implementation, Oneida Air Systems experienced a reduction of 50% in both overhead costs and production floor space while increasing throughput. Throughout the entire PACE process, we maintained a strong emphasis on the 3P’s: purpose, process, and people, and we were intent on always being ready to meet challenges and to ‘wow’ the customer. As a result, we’ve now tripled our revenue.” Within the last four years, the company has doubled its work force, now employing 60, with 10 new team members having been hired within the last six months.
Beyond the implementation of the PACE system, Oneida Air Systems has also benefited from the boon of mainstream attention that its Dust Deputy® product has garnered. The Dust Deputy is a patented cyclone that attaches to a wet/dry vacuum and uses centrifugal force to separate and remove over 99% of dust and debris from the air stream before it reaches the wet/dry vacuum’s filter, saving consumers the hassle of needing to clean their filters frequently in order to prevent suction loss and/or the expense of frequent filter replacements. The Dust Deputy has been seen on ‘Good Morning America-Shark Tank Edition’ and displayed at recent trade shows alongside such household name products as Scrub Daddy®, Paint Brush Cover®, Drop Stop®, and ReadeRest®, all products that have achieved mass distribution & sales after their appearance on the reality TV series ‘Shark Tank.’ Dust Deputy is well on its way to becoming a household name due to a combination of strategic alliances with key sharks and winners from “Shark Tank” as well as recent distribution agreements made with ACE Hardware, Do It Best, Menards, Orgill, Woodcraft, and Amazon. Several other large retail chains and big box stores have also expressed interest in carrying the product.
As CEO, Guerrera has personally spearheaded all retail sales and promotional efforts for Oneida Air Systems. He further commented, “The implementation of PACE at OAS was only the first step. Now that we have successfully achieved our goal of becoming one of a select few manufacturers that can ship product to big box stores within just days of receiving a purchase order, the next step in our strategic plan for growth is to gain distribution for Dust Deputy in new outlets in the hardware and home improvement industries, where we will cement our standing as a world class supplier.” Guerrera is currently in process of representing the Dust Deputy on the History Channel’s TV series “Operation Build”, in a segment entitled “The Workshop Game Changer: Building Smarter with the Best Equipment & Tools in America.” The program, hosted by Alexi Panos, is scheduled to air on the A&E channel during the first quarter of 2016. Guerrera will also be representing both PACE and Oneida Air Systems from October 2-4, 2015, as a judge in the Make 48 Challenge and Conference, an invent-a-thon produced by Stephen Key Media in which teams are presented with a product challenge and compete to invent and pitch a product solution in order to win cash and a licensing opportunity—all within 48 hours. Oneida Air Systems will be sponsoring one of the teams in the challenge.
Founded in 2005, PACE LLC provides an array of partnership services in regard to lean 6 sigma manufacturing implementation, helping its clients to maximize customer value while minimizing waste. For more information, visit http://www.paceimpact.com.
Kristin Jankowski, Oneida Air Systems, http://www.oneida-air.com/, +1 315-476-5151 Ext: 120, [email protected]
Share this article