Frozen-food processor back to profit in six weeks

Where they started

A frozen food processor faced bank action on a $20M loan — six months of no profit, swinging order volumes, inventory chaos, and a breakdown in day-to-day operational control. The mandate was unforgiving: Fourtre had eight weeks to turn it around before the bank moved.

What we did

• Convert C-suite financial goals into shop-floor metrics every operator could see and influence
• Accept that no plan survives first contact — execute, measure, and adjust in real time
• Treat lead time as the ultimate metric, because it exposes every other form of waste
• Deploy Standardized Work across all three facilities so the gains would hold after we left

What changed

• Business returned to profitability in just six weeks
• Lead time reduced by 46%
• Overtime reduced by 90%
• A third-generation family business was saved