Strengthening Production Performance and Operational Discipline at Village Gourmet
Village Gourmet is a family of premium food brands, including Uncle Charley’s, a dominant Italian sausage brand in Western Pennsylvania with more than 30 years of market leadership and over 40 percent market share. Known for its commitment to quality and craftsmanship, the company sought to strengthen operational efficiency and scale its production capabilities to support ongoing growth.
Challenge
Village Gourmet and Uncle Charley’s were experiencing performance limitations across key elements of Production Planning and Manufacturing Execution. Leadership recognized the need to modernize processes, improve output consistency, and reduce labor inefficiencies. Specific challenges included:
Inconsistent production planning
Limited visibility into real plant performance
Excessive overtime and labor inefficiency
High variation in production output and meat waste
Lack of standardized KPIs, governance, and daily management routines
Limited accountability and inconsistent supervisory practices
The organization needed both structural improvements and a cultural shift toward consistent, data driven execution.
Approach
LCG partnered with Village Gourmet over a 6-month period to design and implement an operational transformation focused on increasing productivity, reducing waste, and establishing a disciplined management culture.
1. Production Planning and Execution Redesign
LCG conducted time studies, activity analysis, and scheduling reviews to identify where process redesign would unlock greater capacity and reduce losses.
2. KPI Framework and Governance Model
A performance management system was developed and implemented, including new KPIs, dashboards, and daily, weekly, and monthly governance routines.
3. Active Supervision Model
Supervisors were equipped with structured tools and trained in proactive floor management to strengthen accountability and enhance day to day execution.
4. Organizational Realignment
Roles and responsibilities in the operations department were clarified through an updated organizational chart that improved communication and decision making.
5. Capability Building and Cultural Alignment
LCG worked hands on with plant leadership and operators to reinforce new behaviors, adopt user friendly tools, and embed a culture of continuous improvement.
Results
Village Gourmet achieved significant improvements across productivity, waste, labor efficiency, and organizational alignment.
Quantitative Improvements
12 percent increase in Overall Plant Productivity
Increased from 76 pounds per employee hour to 85 pounds per employee hour
58 percent reduction in production overtime
8 percent increase in Plant Availability
16 percent increase in Plant Performance
29 percent improvement in meat waste ratio
Qualitative Improvements
Gross margin analysis per SKU to support strategic decision making
Redesigned operations organizational chart
New KPIs and a complete governance model for the Production Department
Implementation of an Active Supervision model focused on accountability and execution
Stronger alignment between leadership, supervisors, and frontline operators
Return on Investment
At project completion, Village Gourmet achieved a 1.2 to 1 ROI.
As the new routines and behaviors continued to strengthen, leadership projected a 4.1 to 1 ROI, demonstrating long term scalability and sustainability of the new operating model.
Client Feedback
Village Gourmet leadership highlighted the professionalism, commitment, and expertise of the LCG team. They noted the strong cultural impact, the clarity created through new management routines, and the measurable improvements across efficiency and cost.