Today Lighting
Components and Design, Inc. was host to a plant tour of its showcase
production facilities, sponsored by the South Florida Manufacturer's
Association (SFMA). The following is the complete text of the SFMA's
write-up on the event.
"To
all the finalists being considered for this year's South Florida Manufacturer
of the Year - count yourself fortunate that Lighting Components &
Design (LC&D) of Deerfield Beach won last year. LC&D continues
to make strides in its commitment to technology, new market opportunities,
and its ongoing focus on improving manufacturing operations. They are
poised to grow as never before in the company's history."
"Lighting
Components (LC&D) was the 2000 South Florida Manufacturer of the
year for companies employing 76-250 employees. Over the past year and
a half, LC&D completed an upgrade in its facilities resulting in
a doubling of production capacity."
"Growth
projections over the next two years look to be in the 25-40% range and
will be helped by two major ongoing initiatives: 1) continued automation
of high volume work cells for products going to the automotive and appliance
industries; and 2) expanding plastic injection molding capabilities
to allow more complex products using multiple materials and colors simultaneously."
"This
was all in evidence during the recent SFMA sponsored plant tour on March
20, as part of the SFMA's March Manufacturing Madness month. Almost
80 people attended the tour, marking it the largest attendance experienced
during the month long series of plant tours."
"LC&D
makes the Leecraft® and Littelites® lines of custom engineered
lighting solutions. You can't buy an LC&D light off the shelf at
your local store, but their products make up the base for lighting fixtures
from everything to automobiles, slot machines, signs and many other
product categories."
"LC&D
is currently investing in developing greater capability in plastic injection
molding. They are in the process/ of installing the latest in plastic
molding technology, and expect their investment to allow them to penetrate
new markets quicker and with higher quality. While quality has always
been a key distinguishing feature of their product offerings, the new
technology investment promises to enhance their overall quality even
more."
"LC&D
offers an impressive collection of quantifiable results they've achieved,
even when compared to pre-9/11 levels:
·
"Product quality is 80% better in PPM (parts per million) and
continues to improve both in terms of internal rejection rates and
external rejection rates.
·
"Several independent third party audits and customer audits of
LC&D's business processes were successfully concluded with no
significant problems identified (such audits are a part of the normal
ongoing QS9000 certification requirements).
·
"100% ratings in customer "score card" surveys of quality
and on time delivery for two years in a row.
·
"Gross profit margins 2+% points better than "pre-9/11"
levels.
·
"Total capital (retained earnings and paid in capital) is up
15+%.
"At
a time in manufacturing history when contraction, cutbacks, and outsourcing
have become the norm, LC&D is planning to expand and increase in-house
capabilities."
"President
Jon Cooper has instilled in LC&D a commitment to excellence and
an aggressive approach to business fundamentals. He's built a strong
management team, and is never satisfied with the status quo. At the
tour, he was happy to display the trophy LC&D earned as being the
2000 South Florida Manufacturer of the Year, but he also expressed his
desire to take LC&D to a place far beyond where they were when they
won."
"Given
all the positive comments by those manufacturers who took the tour,
there's reason to believe they will definitely succeed. "
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