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Bally Ribbon Mills Company Profile - Lean Manufacturing
Bally Ribbon Mills is a Bally, Pennsylvania customized manufacturer of tape and narrow fabric products. The company's products meet military specifications for webbing, parachute, and ballooning applications, and it also produces orthopedic and prosthetic webbing for the medical device industry, safety and fall protection products for fire and police departments, aerospace products, recreational products, and industrial filtration, bearing, straps, and webbing. The hybrid yarn products are then dyed to meet both commercial and defense color requirements. The company employs 295 people. The company’s website is www.ballyribbon.com.

Situation
Bally Ribbon Mills has worked with the Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC), a NIST MEP network affiliate, on many projects over the past ten years to improve its manufacturing operations and product quality, and conduct workforce training. When it learned that MRC was offering lean manufacturing training, Bally Ribbon Mills was quick to sign up.

Solution
MRC conducted two Lean 101 sessions on-site to train a pilot project improvement team and additional Bally Ribbon Mills leadership. Then MRC trained the pilot project improvement team in value stream mapping (VSM), a lean technique that helps companies identify and address inefficiency issues on specific product lines. With this new knowledge, Bally Ribbon Mills tested its understanding of lean on a pilot product line. By performing a VSM, the company was able to identify opportunities to reduce lead time.

Results
Reduced lead times on the pilot product line by over 50 percent. Reduced lead times for the quoting process by 50 percent.

Testimonial
"The Manufacturers Resource Center is trying to help manufacturers in the industry save jobs and keep industry and jobs in the area. Technologically, they give companies the assets they need to stay in business and pursue other avenues."

Ray Harries, President