What you will be doing:
This company of designers, architects, and craftsmen are committed to and passionate about working creatively in glass, transforming it into art. They produce windows, stained glass, indoor glass partitions, mirrors, and fused colored glass art pieces. Their carefully designed products are creative and of guaranteed high quality.
As production has increased, the business now faces challenges maintaining high efficiency and keeping production costs down. To combat this, the company needs to analyze and gather data on current operations and identify ways to optimize processes.
The founder and president is driven by her passion for her products and offering new artistic designs to her clients. She and her experienced leadership team are eager to learn best practices from leading industry experts on how to streamline operations and incorporate best practices in lean production to lower costs and continue to fulfill their product quality guarantee.
As a Bpeace volunteer Skillanthropist, you will use your experience in production process improvement to:
- Analyze and provide input on the company’s current production processes and ways it can be enhanced for greater efficiency and cost reduction.
- Help the leadership team identify and address inefficiencies in production and related operations.
- Support the development of staff training modules that will build the capacity of the production team, including best practices in lean/efficient plant operations, establishing standard operating procedures, and a method for ensuring compliance with these standards.
- Advise the business on defining metrics and data collection on production processes, cost analyses, profitability analyses, and sales forecasting (potentially using a CRM system).
The impact of your work will help the company increase their competitiveness so they can continue to create jobs that provide dignity as well as economic stability to their workers and community as a powerful alternative to violence.
Over the course of four to five months you will:
- Provide approximately 5 days of remote consulting advice delivered in time blocks that work with your schedule.
- Validate needs with the company and draft a scope of work. Bpeace staff will facilitate the initial conversations between you and your “client.”
- Advise the company via Zoom video meetings based on a mutually agreed upon schedule.
More jobs are critical in Guatemala right now to help stem the flow of irregular migration. Small and medium businesses account for 60% of the economy. Steady employment provides legitimate alternatives for Guatemalans who would otherwise migrate or pursue illegal activities and gangs. Your advice and expertise will help these businesses create jobs and build a stable future for their workers and communities.
Where you will be doing it:
Remotely with a Bpeace staffer facilitating each consulting session to ensure engagement and continuity.
You are qualified if you:
- Have extensive knowledge of production process improvement and lean manufacturing, experience with glass or similar products preferred.
- Can apply your experience to helping a small business reduce production costs, create process maps, simplify workflows, and maximize efficiency.
- Enjoy sharing your knowledge and best practices in process improvement and approaches to cost-reduction in manufacturing.
- Can volunteer approximately 5 days (40 hours) between March and July to be a remote business advisor.
- Harbor passion for business and/or creating jobs in economically fragile Guatemala.
When:
Starting March 2021.
Commitment:
Discovery: 2-4 hours over the first 1-2 weeks
Project Work: 2-4 hours per week for between 12 and 16 weeks (32 hours total)
Follow-up: 1 hour a month for up to 4 months
Please note that this is a volunteer opportunity.
