CMTC Helps Pump Equipment Manufacturer Access Critical Funding & Implement Lean Training to Support Plant Expansion

California Manufacturing Technology Consulting® (CMTC) recently engaged with Trillium Pumps USA to conduct a Lean Manufacturing workshop, provide leadership skills training, help the company to pursue funding, and find ways to improve operations.

Trillium Pumps USA serves customers in the power, oil and gas, water, and wastewater sectors with highly engineered valves, pumps, and actuators. The company’s supply chain spans the globe, with key manufacturing and service centers located in Canada, China, France, India, Italy, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Trillium Pumps’ Fresno, California operation has produced the Floway range of vertical pump products for 80 years. Manufacturing and fabrication activities from Trillium’s Salt Lake City plant were consolidated to Fresno starting in 2021.

Trillium Pumps USA experienced major growth and changes in 2020. Trillium’s Fresno plant was competing with another Trillium plant and was at risk of closing if the on-time delivery and performance did not improve. Company leaders reached out to CMTC with a request for assistance in pursuing Employment Training Panel (ETP) funds, implementing Lean Manufacturing tools, delivering leadership skills training, and improving operations to stay competitive.

CMTC facilitated an ETP Single Employer Contract providing assistance for Trillium’s Fresno plant. CMTC brought together a team of local economic development professionals and secured a meeting with the director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. As a result, Trillium’s Fresno plant received approval for ETP “Critical Pathway” funding – a designation that targets industries with a growth mode and occupations associated with a company’s business expansion or new location. CMTC also led a team of Trillium staff through the Lean Fundamentals Series Workshop. The team updated a Value Stream Process Map; identified and communicated waste opportunities; used a Data Collection Plan to understand operations, cycle times, and demand; and built a calculator to track how improvements could impact on-time delivery percentages. CMTC provided training and coaching throughout each step of the process.

Trillium’s approval for ETP Critical Pathway funding generated $180,000 in training funds to support the expansion of Trillium’s Fresno plant. CMTC also helped Trillium secure a $10,000 Workforce Investment Board grant for Lean Manufacturing training. Following their engagement with CMTC, Trillium’s Fresno plant added 75 new jobs, retained 12 incumbent employees, and invested $3,200,000 in new capital improvements.

For more information about CMTC’s services, contact Rachel Miller at rmiller@cmtc.com or 310-984-0096.

About California Manufacturing Technology Consulting® (CMTC)

Established in 1992, California Manufacturing Technology Consulting® (CMTC) is a private non-profit organization that provides technical assistance, workforce development, and consulting services to small and medium-sized manufacturers throughout the state of California. CMTC operates under a number of cooperative agreements with the Federal and State government, the largest of which is with the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) under the Department of Commerce for the State of California.

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