F & F Foods

Situation

Based in Chicago, F&F Foods is a manufacturer of confectionary products, vitamins, and mineral-enriched products under its own brands, as well as for contract and private label customers.

Following a management change, the Company continued to experience declining profitability. The lender became increasingly concerned over covenant breaches, with limited long-term plans for resolution.

Solution

Amherst was engaged to provide financial and operational improvements to the overall manufacturing and distribution systems.

Results

Amherst conducted a transformation of the facility, process, and culture to implement a lean enterprise. Amherst professionals trained all level of personnel in lean practices, developed material control and manufacturing performance metrics.

The Company was able to reduce its inbound and outbound excess inventory improving cash flow to substantiate capacity increases.

Amherst instituted an equipment preventative maintenance plan, quick change tool procedures (SMED), statistical problem solving, and new product launch process.

The result of these actions yielded an improvement in operational efficiency, and reduced inventory turns from 40 from 2 times per year.