KEP challenges usually involve how our team worked to improve our manufacturing processes or facilities – this month, learn more about how we also took a Lean approach to non-operations staff and procedures. The result? Shortened timelines, the elimination of redundant calls and emails, and easier, quicker bill paying!

Using our “Lean magnifying glass,” we used methods we learned in our operations facilities to examine how Lean practices could streamline order processing and invoicing customers. On a daily basis, our order entry staff had to hunt down order entry information from several different places. After analyzing and breaking down our old processes, we addressed the problem with concrete step-by-step solutions – collapsing our order entry process time from eight to four hours! Processing these orders faster has helped shorten timelines for our customers.

Then we took a “Lean look” at our invoicing processes. We discovered that our Sales and Accounts Receivable teams both acted as points of contact with customers, creating redundancy and confusion through multiple calls and emails. KEP corrected this by creating one seamless point of entry for our customers, resulting in streamlined bill paying for our customers.

Learn more about our Lean improvements by catching up on the KEP Lean Journey 3-Part White Paper Series by KEP President Bob Oborn.