Arc'teryx Process Improvement Project

Situation

• Being in Mechanical Engineering and Management, I have the privilege of having 3 capstones!

• One of these was for the Management program, where my group and I had to seek out a company and generate solutions and an implementation plan for a real-world business problem for them.

I just finished working a co-op in the summer for Arc'teryx in BC for their manufacturing plant, and would love to do this project with them! Unfortunately I can't get too detailed on the processes we solved (NDA things😅), I can explain the general idea.

Task

• I have to network with and cold email the people I worked with, hoping one of them is willing to work with us and out-source the solution generation of a problem they're having (thankfully, they do!).

• The problem Arc'teryx wants us to address is simple: increase throughput by reducing downtime, and conserve floor space, with rent sent to rise by 20% next year.

• The given budget for the solution is $100,000.

• Our group must generate at least 3 solutions, while evaluating a "do nothing" scenario. The solutions must be ready for a new line they are debuting in January 2026, and have the ability to be fleshed out further in summer 2026 onto other lines.

Action

• I led my group of 5 through the whole project, facilitating communications with Arc'teryx to determine the direction of the project, how to divide up work, and using my expertise in their operations to help my group better cater to Arc'teryx.

• I determined the weighted evaluation criteria based off of calls with Arc'teryx, along with my knowledge of the processes.

• Guided my group through the generation of 3 solutions, all focused on improving the flow of raw materials and WIP into the lines for further operations, as this was an inefficient process.

• I made sure we focused on tangible numbers and data-driven solutions, performing calculations on downtime reduction and ROI over the timeline of the solution.

Results

• Through my leadership, we generated and evaluated 3 solutions, and came up with a final recommendation.

• The chosen solution came in under budget, at $85,000, would save $30,000 in downtime per year, and allow for 14 extra products to be made per line (20 lines in total).

• An implementation plan was also included, explaining the purchases that would need to be made, and processes that would need to change for the solution to operate optimally.

To be able to not only work with Arc'teryx but lead a process improvement project was a dream. Not only that, but providing real value to them while still in school, was the best that I could have imagined. This was an invaluable experience for me!