Company Profile: Audiosears, Inc., located In Stamford, New York, employs about 90 people and manufactures high quality telecommunications equipment for the telecommunications industry. For over 50 years, Audiosears has gained increasing recognition and acceptance as a leading domestic manufacturer of custom and standard handsets, headsets, and component parts for most telecommunications applications. Audiosears maintains labs for electrical and mechanical design, maintenance, quality control, and environmental testing in Stamford. The business is family owned and operated.

Situation: Audiosears experienced increased competition as the telecommunications industry expanded globally. A lack of focused action to address this trend resulted in the loss of several key customers. In addition, manufacturing performance was lagging and business practices were outdated and insufficient to address issues with lead-time, delivery, and quality. Production processes were not standardized nor documented and reliant on the knowledge and skills of long-time employees. AM&T assisted Audiosears in developing a Strategic Plan, and then Audiosears requested that AM&T provide assistance to reverse this trend and improve business effectiveness and performance.

Solution: Audiosears and AM&T analyzed the key business processes and identified several areas for improvement - marketing & sales, quality system, and production. Together we developed a strategic plan to enhance their marketing & sales skills, apply lean methods to manufacturing, and implement an ISO 9001:2000 compliant quality management system. AM&T was then contracted to implement an integrated approach to making the improvements.

AM&T and Audiosears identified three primary areas of focus: 1) marketing & sales processes and tools; 2) machining and assembly methods; and 3) adopting ISO 9001:2000 quality system requirements.

1. The sales process at Audiosears consisted primarily of taking orders from existing customers. Marketing to new customers was infrequent and marketing processes were not well defined. AM&T assisted Audiosears marketing and sales personnel in developing a business development plan, defining marketing and sales processes, training sales personnel, creating marketing materials, and exploring various marketing approaches (e.g. using distributors and sales representatives).

2. Manufacturing at Audiosears was primarily organized for batch production and had difficulty handling mixed model demand. AM&T assisted Audiosears assembly and machine shop personnel in applying lean methods to improve workplace organization, reducing machine set-up times, eliminating assembly bottlenecks, and shortening the material flow from receiving to shipping, thereby streamlining production operations.

3. The quality system at Audiosears was highly dependent on multiple inspections during manufacturing to ensure product quality. In addition, existing quality documentation was outdated and did not always reflect current quality practices. AM&T assisted Audiosears quality personnel in adopting ISO 9001:2000 quality system requirements throughout their organization as well as creating and implementing the ISO documentation required for certification.

Results: Audiosears has applied the acquired through AM&T's integrated approach to its operations. As of November 2008, Audiosears has observed the following results:

1. Increased the customer base by 83 new customers in 2008

2. Reduced lead-time by 40% since 2007

3. Improved on-time delivery (OTD) by 80% in 4Q 2008

4. Increased First Pass yield from 97% to 99% in 2008

5. Implemented an ISO 9001:2000 based quality management system, certification expected in 1Q 2009

Audiosears has benefited financially through increased orders, resulting in better cash flow and more funding available for capital investment in equipment and productivity tools (e.g. ERP system).

Employees have benefited through increased knowledge and skills that result in more job flexibility and security at Audiosears. The knowledge and skills acquired by Audiosears personnel are fully transferable.

The State of New York will benefit from Audiosears' ability to add and retain employees as their order demand grows. The skills and learning acquired by Audiosears personnel increases the strength of the NYS workforce and contributes to the retention of manufacturing based jobs in NYS.

Testimonial: "AM&T began working with Audiosears nearly three years ago. Their consultants worked with us to develop a strategic plan which led to a training initiative that incorporated Lean Manufacturing, ISO, and a Sales and Marketing program. The program revitalized our company and positioned us as a true global competitor. We now have an organized, efficient, confident workforce that will strive to grow this company and ensure employment in our small village of Stamford. I would strongly recommend AM&T's services to any company looking for improvement. Their style and work ethics are superb and our company will continue its success as a result of their training efforts." ~ Shawn Hartwell - VP and COO

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