JORDAN MANUFACTURING: Revitalizing the Tool Room at Jordan Manufacturing Company

Jordan Manufacturing Company is a third-generation family-owned business in Belding, Michigan with 25 employees. Established in 1949 as a tool and die shop, Jordan Manufacturing completes tooling and production solutions, designing and building tools, stamping steel products, and provided a full range of assembly services to customers around the world.

Situation: Jordan Manufacturing was experiencing challenges within its Tool Room department related to balancing priorities, managing resources effectively, and improving team coordination. To establish a more structured approach to planning, communication, and execution, company leadership partnered with MMTC-West for coaching and mentoring support.

Solution: MMTC-West provided an eight-to-ten-week coaching and mentoring engagement to help Jordan Manufacturing strengthen planning, communication, and resource management within its Tool Room department. The process began with an in-depth two-to-three-hour session to assess the department’s challenges, understand existing processes, and establish a coaching plan tailored to the supervisor’s needs. The trainer then conducted weekly coaching sessions focused on improving workload planning, prioritization, team communication, and the development of measurable objectives. Throughout the engagement, the trainer worked alongside the Tool Room Supervisor to create sustainable processes for reviewing priorities, adjusting plans as demands shifted, and improving overall team coordination and accountability.

Results

• Improved communication and coordination within the Tool Room by implementing daily morning meetings and visual management boards to prioritize tasks, clarify toolmaker assignments, and improve workflow accountability.
• Tooling-related downtime was reduced by approximately 5%, driven by improved troubleshooting and faster issue resolution on the floor.
• Increased tooling on-time delivery (OTD) performance by approximately 15%. through better planning, prioritization, and resource management practices.
• The training also supported and sustained a significant increase in our tooling business the following year, with tool sales increasing by 500%.