Situation

The company evolved from its craftsman roots into a larger manufacturer of custom exhibit booths, mostly for the fashion industry, without developing its core management team or organizational framework. They did not establish a dedicated sales/marketing department to continuously fill their order pipeline. David Flatt realized that culture change would need to become a collective part of the vision of ownership and management. Breaking down old, unprofitable methodologies and getting buy-in and traction from staff would take time. Flatt realized that culture change needed to become embedded in the organizational fabric. The company contacted ITAC to assist them with these workforce initiatives.

Solution

David Flatt and ITAC set out on a number of initiatives, such as creating job descriptions to clearly define the responsibilities and duties of key staff, implementing a forecasting and budgeting system of financial controls to help inform ownership’s decision-making process; and establishing codified processes and procedures so that every employee understood how the company’s design and manufacturing processes worked, and the role each played in making the organization profitable.

Results

David Flatt has improved its exhibit design process and set-up time, reduced the labor to manufacture an exhibit, developed better relations with key accounts and enabled them to expand their market reach. Cash flow, as well as employee morale, has also improved. David Flatt reported a total economic impact of $840K and 6 new and retained jobs, as a result of their work with ITAC.