“The little wins each and every day have built our momentum into the best year we’ve ever had. Lean principles and continuous improvement aren’t just tools here, they’ve become a voice for every person on our team. That’s what truly changed the game for us.”Eileen CunninghamPresident - Meyer Tool & Manufacturing, Inc.
Situation
Meyer Tool, a precision manufacturing company serving advanced industries, saw an opportunity to increase its competitive edge by strengthening internal operations and building a resilient culture of improvement. With the goal of expanding its OEM customer base, including new ventures into quantum computing, leadership recognized that sustainable growth needed to start on the shop floor. That meant equipping their team with the tools, structure, and ownership to improve every day.
Solution
Meyer Tool partnered with IMEC to implement a customized Lean Daily Management System, integrating practical tools with cultural transformation. Over the course of nearly two years, the Meyer Tool team:
- Deployed policy scorecards and metrics to bring transparency and accountability across all departments.
- Conducted faithful huddle board meetings twice a week, encouraging employee-led improvement ideas.
- Built a unified language and structure through visual controls, red tagging, and organized workspaces.
- Empowered leaders and frontline teams to conduct daily Gemba walks, continuously identifying opportunities to eliminate waste and increase value.
- Fostered healthy competition between departments using performance data and metrics.
- Maintained a clear cadence of communication through monthly town halls and open results sharing.
A key to success was IMEC helping to align every employee with the company’s mission by inviting participation and ownership at every level: from shop floor to senior leadership.
Results
Today, Meyer Tool is on track to finish its strongest year ever by August 2025. The company’s deliberate and methodical approach to continuous improvement has led to:
- Consistent OEM growth, adding customers each quarter with higher quote and win rates.
- A thriving Quantum computing client base, aligning with emerging tech investments across Illinois.
- Strong employee engagement and retention: no value-add employee has left in over two years outside of retirements.
- Clear accountability at the individual level, supported by real-time data, huddle boards, and personal ownership of improvement.
- An organized, clean, and fully red-tagged shop floor where lean values guide every process.
Impact by the Numbers
- $5.1M in retained sales
- $500K in new sales
- $343K in new investments
- $50K in cost savings
- 30 jobs retained | 5 jobs created
