For over thirty-five years, top hospitals and physicians from around the world have trusted American Surgical Company®(ASC) to develop and provide innovative, single-use tools surgeons need “to help their patients get better.” In fact, their products are used every 3.3 seconds by medical professionals in over seventy countries across six contents and have earned the company a 98% customer retention rate. Proudly ASC’s products are made in their manufacturing facility and corporate headquarters in Beverly, Massachusetts.
With statistics like these, one might wonder what kind of assistance MassMEP could provide them. Continuous improvement never ends! The best, most efficient companies are always looking for ways to be better; to shave seconds off a process, remove a few more feet of travel distance, reduce redundancy or improve productivity.
“American Surgical Company engaged with MassMEP because we recognized an opportunity to improve our processes while simultaneously investing in our people.” Shares Michael Carpenter, American Surgical Company’s Director of Operations. “We were looking for a partner who could not only help facilitate this specific Kaizen initiative, but also provide the training, tools, and knowledge necessary to build sustainable continuous improvement capabilities within our organization.”
Triage
Constraints in the process from the time materials were physically received at ASC through their appearance in the system for kitting and order allocation, created inconsistency and delays and was an administrative burden. This caused extended lead times and resulted in interruptions in kitting which impaired manufacturing flow and hindered visibility of supplier and process performance.
A cross functional Value Stream Mapping and Kaizen Team was created with members from American Surgical Company’s Quality, Manufacturing, Administrative, IT, Finance. Supply Chain, Operations and Materials departments. They began by working with MassMEP Project Manager Maria Mara on a Current State value stream map and spaghetti diagrams of their process as they existed currently. These tools helped the team visually identify where problems were occurring and the impacts that resulted.
They discovered that their process constraints came from a variety of sources:
- Waiting to determine when materials should be ordered.
- Inability to allocate materials to orders util they were inspected and entered in the quality system.
- A lack of consistency in the way failures were recorded.
- Missing vendor paperwork and incomplete accounting packages
- Signature requirements causing processing delays.
- Space limitations for inspection and manufacturing
- Competing priorities limited processing time
After identifying what was causing their current state inefficiencies the team brainstormed what their future state should look like. They developed a plan and Kaizen activities to make the necessary improvements to help them reach their Future State. Using an Effort/ Impact chart the team separated improvement activities into quick wins and major projects to help prioritize their Kaizen work.
The Current State spaghetti diagram alone illustrated excessive movement back and forth in the facility, (half a mile per cycle) with opportunity to reorganize the layout of the process steps in the workspace to improve workflow and eliminate unnecessary motion.
Applying Sutures
After completing their Value Stream Mapping, ASC began their three-day Kaizen initiative by focusing on the key improvement activities that had been identified. The team split into smaller groups to address priority projects. They focused work on three workstreams Documentation Review, Fishbowl System Inventory Updates and Label Improvements.
The team planned to capture positive impacts of their improvements by initiating Supplier Rating Forms, tracking expected deliveries and receipt of parts, as well as implementing layout improvements.
During the three-day kaizen:
- Documentation digitized.
- Improved lot creation using vendor lot numbers.
- Redundant inspection steps eliminated.
- Supplier Rating Log eliminated (non-value added)
- New tracking locations created in the Fishbowl system.
- Label creation automated via Excel
- Reduced inspection requirements due to low scrap rates
- Significant time savings anticipated across all processes.
On the Way to a Full Recovery
This was a very successful engagement focused on improving the receiving and inspection process. ASC’s team came away from the events with an action plan which assigned an owner and due date to each action item to guide the ongoing improvement activities. During the 3-day Kaizen the team transitioned from a current state assessment into a future state implementation plan with immediate operational improvements identified. In fact, most of the action items were complete by the start of April 2026. Work is ongoing!
“What stands out most is the team’s energy and willingness to change.” shares Mara. “This wasn’t just a one-time event — it’s the beginning of a culture shift, and that’s what makes it meaningful.”
A Successful Operation!
“Working with Maria and the MassMEP team has helped us elevate employee engagement and problem-solving skills.” said Carpenter. “This enabled our team to identify opportunities, implement improvements, and continue driving operational excellence long after the project is complete!”
Some key improvements achieved during American Surgical Company’s Value Stream Mapping and Kaizen event included:
- Digitizing documentation and reducing administrative burden
- Eliminating redundant inspection steps
- Automating portions of the label creation process
- Improving lot traceability using vendor lot numbers
- Improving workflow and reducing excessive motion throughout the facility
One of the most significant findings was the reduction of unnecessary movement in the receiving and inspection process. The original workflow required over 2,000 feet of travel per cycle — nearly half a mile of internal movement — the future-state redesign significantly streamlined travel to about nine hundred feet per cycle. A 36% reduction.
Based on the improvements identified and implemented during the event, the team projected anticipated savings of 11940 minutes or 199 hours; approximately 32 days in process time, creating significant opportunities for improved throughput, reduced delays, and better overall operational efficiency.
“American Surgical has undergone a real transformation. The team has fully embraced lean and is taking ownership of continuous improvement through kaizen events. Their commitment is genuine — and because of it, they’re already seeing capacity open up that is positioning them for real business growth!” Maria Mara, MassMEP Project Manager.