Authored by Dave Rizzardo, MWCC Associate Director

On July 25th, 2024, we took our members and guests to tour the Holmatro facility in Glen Burnie, Maryland.  We were hosted by Karol Siozon, Craig Carassanesi, Michelle Leroy, and Timo Gerlings. Holmatro isn’t your typical company; they’re in the business of saving lives—not through hospitals or medical equipment, but by creating top-notch rescue gear used by first responders, SWAT teams, and Special Operations Forces. It’s clear that their mission fuels a deep pride and dedication among their team, and it was inspiring to witness firsthand.

They started by letting us see the finished products and they are indeed impressive!  As we embarked on the tour, the impeccable cleanliness and organization of the facility stood out, reflecting their strong commitment to 5S practices that eliminates waste. Their daily Gemba Walks are a testament to their support for plant-floor employees, swiftly addressing any issues that arise. One of the Lean applications that stood out to me is their impressive kanban replenishment system. Each machine in their shop handles various parts that contribute to the final products, and their system ensures efficient inventory management. Thanks to their thorough audit process, they keep inventory low while boosting on-time delivery performance—and they do it with less stress!

Holmatro’s dedication to continuous improvement is further evidenced by their internal targets for on-time delivery, which are weeks ahead of customer promises. This forward-thinking approach underscores their commitment to excellence.

A strong foundation of teamwork and employee engagement has made these advancements possible. With many long-tenured employees, it’s clear that Holmatro values its workforce and embraces change with enthusiasm. The involvement of employees in the kanban process, along with their use of performance metrics, highlights a proactive approach to operational efficiency.

In addition to the essential human element of change, Craig also emphasized that having accurate data is crucial for successful kanban system implementation.  Well said, Craig! Sure, the kanban system will run with poor data, but you will be making the wrong products. Or more of a product than needed, or not enough of another product, or all of these! Bottom line, it won’t work, so heed Craig’s warning. Remember, garbage in, garbage out!

In summary, this was an inspiring and educational Lean tour. Though their progress is impressive, what I feel is just as impressive is that they have systems in place which will be the catalyst for ongoing improvement to add more value for their customers who put their products to good use…to save lives!