TOC Flow in Action – A Quick Win & A Powerful Reminder

vinnymonteiro
May 1
3 min read

Updated: Jul 23

We've been hearing some incredible early wins from past attendees—and wanted to highlight one story that really stood out. Plus, we’ve included two powerful reminders to help you stay focused on your path to Operational Excellence.

🔥Company Spotlight: From High WIP to High Net Income

“Our team began introducing some basic TOC concepts during Q4 2024. We wanted to embrace the theories and create a throughput mindset in our organization. To support our journey, three members of our operations team attended the 2-day TOC Flow Solutions Workshop in Cleveland, OH in January 2025. The experience was both invaluable and insightful.

We learned how to identify the constraint and regulate its flow to manage the entire system. Tools like Little’s Law helped us set appropriate WIP levels based on pull and replenishment.

But the biggest breakthrough? The Goldratt team helped us see how excess WIP was actually constraining revenue. We had already set WIP reduction as a company initiative, and this training helped us realize just how impactful it could be. Immediately after the workshop, we began slashing stocking levels in our ERP and reducing lead times. We removed 150,000–175,000 WIP units from our system—and the results were immediate and amazing.

We’re now focusing on the right orders, increasing revenue while working fewer hours. Compared to our prior 9 months of pre-TOC history, we have seen remarkable improvements in our plant:

📈 On-Time Delivery improved by 10%

⏱️ Overtime costs dropped by 25%

💰 Revenue and Net Income increased by double digits!

I’ve been part of many large-scale improvement efforts across multiple sites and corporations—but I have NEVER seen such a dramatic impact in such a short time.

Thank you to the Goldratt team for your mentoring and support in this monumental improvement effort.”

– Geoff Fairbanks Vice President - Operations, ACT Test Panels

💡 Quick Insight #1: Protect Your Constraint’s

The constraint’s time is your system’s most precious resource. Every lost minute is throughput lost forever. Ask yourself:

Are we giving the constraint the best work, with the fewest interruptions?

💡 Quick Insight #2: Protect Your Constraint’s

Maximizing local efficiency often damages global flow. Don’t fall into the trap of “everyone must be busy.”

The goal is not busyness—it’s flowing value to the customer.

⚙️ Keep the Momentum Going

We want to hear your wins—big or small. If you’ve started applying the principles from the workshop, let me know what you’re seeing. Whether it’s a small shift or a major breakthrough, your story could inspire others on the same path. (With your permission, we may feature it in an upcoming newsletter or highlight it in future workshops.)

And if things haven’t quite clicked yet—or if you sense your organization could benefit from a more holistic TOC approach—we’re here. Sometimes a short conversation can reveal the next step or uncover a hidden opportunity.

💬 Know Someone Who Could Benefit From TOC Flow Training?

We’re continuing to run TOC Flow Training sessions around North America, and we’ll be returning to several past locations. If someone comes to mind, we’d love to hear from you—especially: