Look inside the existing system
Capacity constraints do not always require new equipment. Observe the work, analyze losses, and speak with operators to identify downtime, bottlenecks, and underused resources. Prioritize improvements according to their operational value and practical cost.
A bakery example
PMO Partners worked with a large baked goods manufacturer to identify 90 improvement opportunities through discussions with plant management and line employees. Immediately actionable, low-cost changes represented $850,000 in annual line-hour savings and a margin improvement exceeding 2%.
The analysis also indicated that redirecting those hours into production could create 25% more capacity and $21 million in potential top-line growth. Those capacity and revenue figures were opportunities, not a claim that the additional sales had already been achieved. The case illustrates the value of disciplined operational investigation before committing significant capital.