Wood River Valley Chamber Members
The Chamber exists to help local businesses stay competitive and thrive. In support of that mission, this 6-part series highlights practical strategies any business can use to uncover hidden savings and strengthen margins.
I’m John Rumasuglia, a Chamber member based in Hailey. Through my work with Schooley Mitchell, I help Idaho businesses reduce costs in areas like freight, telecom, merchant processing, and waste. On average, companies uncover 10–40% in savings — dollars that can be reinvested into equipment, people, and community growth.
These articles are designed to be useful whether or not you ever work with me. My goal is to spark ideas, share insights, and provide tools you can use to strengthen your margins — while knowing there are resources available if you’d like help digging deeper.
The 8th Waste in Manufacturing: Hidden Costs Draining Profits
November 5 2025 - 10AM MST
Cutting Costs Hidden in Plain Sight: What if the real waste wasn’t on your shop floor? Lean training highlights the 7 (or 8) wastes of production. But inefficiencies in freight, telecom, waste, merchant processing, and utilities quietly drain profits every year. These hidden costs don’t show up in kaizen events, yet they have a real bottom-line impact.
What you’ll learn:
- The Missing Waste: Why indirect service costs should be treated as Lean’s 8th waste
- Real-World Case Studies: How manufacturers are uncovering 10–40% in savings without layoffs or disruption
- Tools & Takeaways: A Service Waste Checklist to track vendor contracts and immediate opportunities
All registrants receive a Service Waste Checklist and the option to request a personalized Savings Estimator + 5-Year Cash Flow Analysis.
