Meadow Creek: A Healthy and Stable Brand

Meadow Creek builds around a thousand units per year, and every year they have to increase their production to keep up with the demand of orders. When I surveyed my list back in January, more than 600 people said they have plans of purchasing a Meadow Creek cooker in 2015. In light of the ongoing demand and steady growth, Meadow Creek has made it their goal to manufacture equipment quickly without giving up quality.

30% Increase in Production

The team at Meadow Creek spent this past fall and winter redesigning the shop and understanding how to improve efficiency in the factory. Back in October they shut down to about 5% production for a couple weeks while they redesigned their shop for “one flow production”.

They have implemented a system to streamline reordering supplies and parts, both internal and external, which helps to keep things running more smoothly and with less headache.

Another help was “Operation Toot,” where every employee in the shop was given an aerosol air horn for one day. Each time an employee came to a fault in his work flow, he would blow the horn and Ivan came over to take notes for later analysis. Operation Toot revealed about 18 areas of improvement in the work flow.

They have added a brand new $60,000 drive-through paint room with a dryer in it. Instead of waiting a couple days for paint to cure enough to wrap for shipping, this dryer shortens the paint dry time to several hours. With their new work flow and paint room, they could potentially build a BBQ42 Chicken Cooker one morning and prep it for shipping by the end of the day.

Their hard work and investment is paying off, and they have already reached the efficiency level of last summer. Their new work flow and systems have increased production by 30% and given them empty spaces in the shop for future expansion. Between the increased production and the potential space for new employees, Meadow Creek has the potential to double production with the same size shop!

Ongoing Improvement

Melvin and Meadow Creek staff have been holding weekly continuous improvement meetings, where they share and vote on new ideas and decide who will implement specific ideas. With all the changes they’ve implemented, Meadow Creek is better able to serve the market with shorter lead times and more focus on ongoing improvement.

Meadow Creek has become a healthy and stable brand, growing from the inside out. Improvement is not a closed chapter for Meadow Creek. As they continue to invest in greater efficiency, they are also looking for ways to improve and expand their product line.

Here are the two latest changes:

New cleanup sink. Meadow Creek’s first sink is great for a prep sink, but we realize the bowls are too narrow and there is not enough water to be really practical for cleanup. The new sink has 16″ x 20″ x 13″ wash bowls with on demand hot water and a quick connect drain, which makes it perfect for cleaning up after a party.

LED flush mount lights. Instead of a bulky light box mounted on the fender, all trailer light packages are now LED and flush mount. The biggest advantage with this change is that the lights are not nearly as vulnerable to breaking during shipping or use.

If you are dreaming of owning a Meadow Creek this year, we stand by to welcome you to the family. If you are still doing your research, thank you for stopping by. You are welcome and I invite you to choose Meadow Creek.

Sizzling regards,

Lavern Gingerich