Apollo adopts lean-manufacturing model

Apollo Sprayers announced that the progress of its systems reorganization undertaken with the Lean Six Sigma Institute has expanded the company’s manufacturing capabilities, factory and warehouse facilities and led to the institution of a new position filled by David Ifrid as value stream manager.

“This is a very exciting time for Apollo Sprayers,” company president and CEO John Darroch said in a statement. “Responding to worldwide demand for essential professional HVLP equipment in a variety of industries, we have undergone an intensive capacity transformation in the past seven months. We’re welcoming David Ifrid on board to bring his logistics and Lean Six Sigma experience to help us maintain our forward momentum.”

Ifrid has more than 20 years of management experience in the logistics field, with the last 12 years working with Ceva Logistics, according to Apollo.

“As we’ve moved through the LSSI program we’ve incorporated concepts such as kaizen, where we carefully examine every small element in a particular process, finding out how to eliminate waste of both time and effort. You emerge with a streamlined process that greatly improves efficiency and results,” Darroch said.

“Everyone in the company is directly involved in improving how we organize inventory, how we manufacture, how we ship, how we deal with our supply chain, and how we serve our customers, step by step. It’s logical and very powerful in its effect.”