Our approach is based on years of experience working in complex plants and with world-wide companies.
While each engagement is customized to meet your needs, we follow a 5-step methodology to achieve
your goals.
- Needs assessment and proposal
We meet with you to understand your challenges and desired outcome. Once we fully comprehend your situation and agree with your outcome, we create a customized proposal for consideration. - Work Session Preparation
Every engagement has a preparation phase that typically takes about 1 month. The product of this effort positions the team for success during the onsite work. - Work Sessions
We collaborate with you in a very specific manner that we have found creates the best results. These sessions are like a reaction and refining process with 5DN acting as a catalyst. Our work sessions take place at your location in 1 or 2 week bursts. This approach maximizes the value of solutions while respecting time constraints. - Task Force Work
After any work session, there is a period when some solutions need refinement, additional exploration and preparation before they can be implemented. We employ a "task force" approach to provide leadership, structure, focus and a timeline. - Implementation
Finally, projects must be implemented. Some solutions are easy to implement and are completed without the Task Force. In fact, some ideas are executed during the work sessions. Implementation time varies widely depending on plant and budget constraints. 5DN involvement in implementation varies based on your needs.
5 Degrees North Observations and Beliefs
- Multi-dimensional integration is worth doing and can be a significant competitive differentiator
- The concept of “synchronization” can create large financial savings
- Work specialization leads to operational “silos” that can create inefficiencies
- The interfaces between areas of specialization, processes and technologies are typically not optimized
- Hidden assets and opportunities are hard to find and harvest without a structured method
- Unique human resources used on an "as needed" basis can magnify results and help create solutions to challenging problems
- Process improvement efforts need to start on the “shop floor” to identify the best opportunities and focus on areas that have the biggest financial impact
- Focus, speed and group support are essential to developing improvements that get implemented
- Outcome is "king"
- Confidentiality is critical