Steve Shank
Chief Executive Officer and President, Operations of Flinchbaugh Engineering, Inc.
Mr. Shank serves as Chief Executive Officer and President, Operations of Flinchbaugh Engineering, Inc. (FEI). Mr. Shank joined FEI in 2005 with 15 years’ experience in an engineered-to-order manufacturing environment. He served in leadership roles in various functional areas, including customer service, accounting and operations. He has broad experience in the implementation of Lean practices and the use of Six Sigma tools. Mr. Shank has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance from the University of Delaware
From Steve Shank
FEI is not a ‘job shop’. A job shop will commonly make a few parts for a prototype or a where a few units (usually less than a dozen) are needed. FEI is a medium scale production shop, enjoying the market, manufacturing between hundreds and thousands of parts within a part family.
We want everyone to know throughout the manufacturing process how they are performing versus an expected output and service levels. Everything and everyone is measured.
Our ability to remove these wastes effectively, results in all of our effort (and cost) being directed at creating value for our customers. When we do this well, and provide value without waste, we satisfy our customer’s needs and our shareholders expectations.
As with any process, there is ample room for improvement. Much of our effort goes into doing an excellent job filtering opportunities up front, processing with well trained and motivated operators, using the right equipment and standard work instructions, reducing set-ups and scrap, improving cycle-time and driving out all the other waste.
About Steve Shank
Steve Shank’s leadership in the world of engineering serves as an ideal mirror for the mortgage banking industry. As CEO of Flinchbaugh Engineering, Mr. Shank’s has an inveterate understanding of how real manufacturing works and leverages the tried and true precepts of Lean Manufacturing, providing insight and wisdom into ‘manufacturing’ in mortgage banking.
Reducing variation and training cost while improving productivity are at the top of Mr. Shank’s priorities in manufacturing. Achieving this begins with drilling in on the manufacturing process and defining ‘part families’ within larger parts. This has natural parallels in mortgage banking, where each loan can be viewed as a prototype with lenders operating as a job shop. Mr. Shank encourages standardization across the system to optimize productivity along with constant performance updates for all parties along the manufacturing chain. This results in “value without waste”, true engagement for those involved in manufacturing and, in the end, true customer satisfaction.