The history of Brewer Science is a testament to what aspiring to be the best can bring. By seeking continuous improvement and welcoming assistance through a local partnership, Brewer Science shares a journey of humble beginnings to becoming a world-class manufacturer.
Founded on values. The foundation of Brewer Science is unlike any other chemical manufacturing company. With headquarters based in rural Rolla, MO, being far from similar industries and partners comes with difficulties, but ultimately has assisted in our growth. Tom Brown, Executive Director of Manufacturing and Quality at Brewer Science, remarks, “The people who came together at the start of Brewer Science were driven in their midwestern values, but with a hint of the Show-Me State attitude…‘We will show you why we’re a world-class manufacturer’ which is at its core what Brewer Science was founded on.”
A journey, not a destination. Recognizing that excellence is a journey, not a destination, means accepting help to improve our processes. When Missouri Enterprise first interacted with us, approximately 15 years ago, we were struggling with customer audits. We recognized some areas would need improvement if we were to continue our journey to being a world-class manufacturer.
Missouri Enterprise provided guidance. Improving our process routes and controls that we have for our operations was essential in our development, and the trainings and guidance Missouri Enterprise has given us has been invaluable. Through Lean exercises and discussions with supervisors and the teams, everyone was able to understand what we needed to do to continuously improve our processes.
Competitive quality levels. Through this training, we’ve brought our quality to levels that it’s never been before and the feedback we receive from our customers is phenomenal. We have raised the mark, putting pressure on our competition to become more efficient and sustainable. The material turnover is significantly faster and making changes allowed for improvement. Usually, change comes simultaneously with challenge and push back, but with the Missouri Enterprise program and plan, the change was easier and well-accepted.
The journey to becoming a world-class manufacturer requires innovation, the ability to challenge, and the ability to accept feedback. Through Missouri Enterprise, Brewer Science has been able to take productivity to new heights and constantly challenge the status quo within the manufacturing industry. Lauralee Rose, with Missouri Enterprise, remarks, “Brewer Science is on top of their game and they take everything that we give them. They truly are champions of change.” Brewer Science is recognized as one of the top R&D organizations in the world, so becoming a world-class leader in manufacturing made a big difference. Read more about our Zero Defects program, the natural next step in our excellence journey.