Operating Case Studies

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Industry

Engineered Manufacturing | Vocational & Specialty Hydraulic Systems

Situation

Custom Hoists (a division of Standex Internatial) was a technically capable, market-respected manufacturer operating in a highly customized, low-volume / high-mix environment. Despite strong demand, the business struggled with inconsistent execution, long lead times, margin pressure, and unreliable delivery performance.

On-time delivery had deteriorated to approximately 40%, internal workflows were fragmented, and financial performance lagged the company’s market position.

Challenges

• High product customization with limited process standardization
• Inconsistent production planning and capacity visibility
• Reactive expediting culture
• Misalignment between commercial commitments and operational reality
• Leadership systems that had not scaled with business complexity

Actions Taken

• Rebuilt the operating cadence around realistic scheduling and constraint management
• Standardized work where possible without undermining customization
• Implemented visual management and daily accountability rhythms
• Realigned leadership roles and decision rights
• Linked commercial promises directly to operational capacity and lead times
• Executed targeted capital investments to relieve bottlenecks

Results

• Revenue increased 47% while gross margins materially improved
• Production output increased 56% without proportional headcount growth
• On-time delivery improved from ~40% to 98%+
• Operating margin restored and stabilized
• Customer confidence and internal morale significantly improved

Sustainability

Improvements were embedded into systems, leadership routines, and performance metrics — reducing dependency on individual heroics and enabling repeatable execution.

Industry

Heavy Equipment Distribution & Industrial Services | Construction, Mining, Power Systems

Situation

Ohio Machinery Company, the Caterpillar dealership serving heavy equipment and industrial customers across construction, mining, and power systems markets, operates in an asset-intensive, service-critical environment where uptime, safety, and execution discipline directly determine customer economics.

I led the Hydraulics Division, where performance had plateaued and safety performance had not kept pace with the rest of the organization.

Challenges

• Operating margins below the level the division's market position should have supported
• Production throughput trailing historical performance
• On-time delivery inconsistent, undermining customer confidence
• A recordable accident rate well above what a disciplined operation should tolerate
• Customer satisfaction not yet reflecting the quality of the underlying work

Actions Taken

• Rebuilt the operating cadence around realistic scheduling and production accountability
• Implemented structured safety protocols and leadership accountability for incident prevention
• Led an ERP implementation to improve planning visibility and execution consistency
• Diversified market focus to strengthen revenue performance against historical benchmarks
• Held the leadership team to clear, measurable standards across safety, delivery, and customer outcomes

Results

• Improved operating margins 26.7% in the first 12 months
• Posted record throughput, up 29.2% over the five-year average
• Established the division's best on-time delivery performance in five years, improving from 62.7% to 96.5%
• Reduced the OSHA Recordable Accident Rating 100%, from 7.1 to a sustained 0.0
• Achieved a record customer satisfaction score of 96.3% in the first year

Sustainability

Improvements were built into operating cadence, leadership accountability, and safety culture, not dependent on any single initiative or individual. The division sustained its safety record and delivery performance beyond the first year. 

Industry

Specialty Manufacturing | Vocational Vehicles & Heavy Equipment

Situation

Sabel Custom Chassis was founded in 1997 as a specialty manufacturing start-up serving vocational vehicle and heavy equipment markets. I co-founded the business and grew it to approximately $3 million in annual revenue before its acquisition by Kimble Companies, after which I assumed senior operating leadership across the combined organization with full P&L accountability.

The challenge shifted from building a business to professionalizing one, without losing the customer focus and product flexibility that had made it successful in the first place.

Challenges

• Sustaining revenue growth in a maturing, increasingly competitive severe-service market
• Cost structure not yet disciplined enough to convert revenue growth into earnings growth
• Production throughput limited by inconsistent workflow and procedure
• Legacy product costs carrying inefficiencies from the business's earlier, less structured stage

Actions Taken

• Drove customer-focused growth strategy and deepened penetration in severe-service markets
• Led aggressive implementation of cost control disciplines across the organization
• Conducted workflow analysis and rebuilt production procedures to improve throughput
• Implemented improved quality management systems to eliminate legacy cost inefficiencies

Results

• Delivered year-over-year revenue growth of 28% through customer focus and increased market penetration
• Improved net income 47.4% through aggressive cost control discipline
• Increased production throughput 183% through workflow redesign and improved procedures
• Reduced legacy product costs 83% through improved quality management systems

Sustainability

 Cost discipline, workflow standards, and quality systems were embedded into daily operations rather than treated as one-time initiatives, allowing the organization to sustain margin and throughput gains as it continued to scale.