|
Proposal
Writing/Managment
MCS principal, Ray Knowis, and associated
consultants have extensive experience with the management
of the proposal process and with writing proposals. Specific
writing experience includes Executive Summaries, Technical
and Management Sections. Experience has demonstrated the
value of initially properly organizing the proposal specifically
in accordance with the Evaluation Criteria of the RFP and
meticulously following the RFP Instructions. Our experience
also includes managing the proposal process from the initial
Storyboards to the final review teams.
(Top)
Grant
Application Writing
MCS has experience in writing Grant Applications
including those for federal aide to colleges and federal
and private financial assistance to non-profit organizations.
We are particularly skilled at tailoring the grant application
to align with the intended purpose of the proposed grant.
(Top)
Business Plans
MCS and our associated consultants have
experience in developing business plans for both start-up
organizations, on-going operations as well as for downsizing.
Our experience is in preparing realistic business plans
based on identifiable projected costs, and on revenues based
on thorough market analysis with specifically identified
customers and associated programs.
(Top)
Lean
Manufacturing
Optimizing the cost of a process or of
the manufacture of a product determines an organization's
ability to be competitive in the market place. MCS engineers
have the experience to critically evaluate processes, existing
or planned, to identify improved methods which shorten cycle
time or improve quality, with the goal of accomplishing
both. Recommendations for improvements in manufacturability
might include design revisions to facilitate machining,
different machine tools with higher cutting speeds and feeds,
high speed tooling, and/or combining the machining process
with real-time dimensional inspection. MCS personnel have
worked in highly competitive design and manufacturing organizations
where each new product was evaluated for design and manufacturing
approaches that would reduce cost while achieving the desired
levels of quality.
Technology
Assessment Due Diligence
A typical method for companies to grow
by vertical integration is through acquisition to obtain
the capability and resources necessary to support the desired
growth. In addition
to the customary financial due diligence conducted during
an acquisition, there should also be a technology audit
or technology assessment due diligence investigation before
the acquisition of a technology-intensive company, particularly
of those in the emerging technologies. MCS personnel, particularly the principle,
Ray Knowis, have proven adept at evaluating technology companies
for acquisition, having grown a small, local, single-market
company from a $5M/Yr. business volume to an international,
multi-divisional, multi-business-unit company with a business
volume of over $70M/Yr. We can assist in making sound business decisions by helping a company
clarify and define its strategic plan and verify the company
considered for acquisition actually has the management team,
products or services and markets to support that strategic
plan.
(Top)
Litigation Support Services - Expert
Witness
MCS personnel, with years of experience
as hands-on, practicing engineers, make ideal expert witnesses.
They offer the benefit of their engineering education and
professional experience in offering opinions based on laws
of physics and scientific principles. As practicing engineers
they have faced the issues of protecting intellectual property
as they dealt with customers, suppliers, competitors and
employees. None of the staff of MCS are "professional"
expert witnesses who make a career of offering favorable
opinions to whomever employs them. Arbitrators, judges or
juries normally view the fact they are not professional
witnesses favorably.
(Top)
Policies
and Procedures
MCS associates have written Policies
and Procedures for a broad range of uses ranging from Drafting
Standards for an engineering department to developing ISO
Standards for a multiple site aerospace company. This breadth
of experience permits MCS to adapt their experience to efficiently
implement policies and procedures to match our customers'
needs.
(Top)
Operations
Management
MCS principle, Ray Knowis, has experience
ranging from managing medium size engineering departments,
divisional plants, Strategic Business Units (SBUs) consisting
of up to five design and manufacturing facilities spread
across the nation. This operations management experience
has included the P&L responsibility for an annual operating
budget of over $20M. This experience also includes the start-up
of new divisional plants and, when business decisions warrant,
the closing of plants. MCS associates have the hands-on
experience to assist our customers with any operational
challenge.
(Top)
Program/Contract
Project Management
MCS
principle, Ray L. Knowis has over 30 years successfully
managing major NASA programs in his position with Micro
Craft, Inc. prior to his retirement. The most current program
managed by Mr. Knowis was the Reliance Consolidated Models
Contract (RECOM), which consolidated the test article requirements
of 4 NASA centers - Ames, Langley, Lewis and Marshall. Mr.
Knowis served as the capture manager for this $90M contract,
managed the proposal effort for the contract and upon award
of the contract became the Contract Manager.
(Top)
Plant Management
MCS personnel have extensive hands-on
plant management experience with the majority if our experience
in managing design and manufacturing operations associated
with the aerospace research and development industry. Particular
strengths have been demonstrated in the improvement of profitability
and increased business volume while also improving customer
relations.
(Top)
Contract
Phase-In/Start-Up
An organization's personnel resources
can often be stretched thin when a new contract is received.
If the new contract requires personnel to relocate or if
a new site must be staffed, MCS has experienced management
personnel to support new contract phase-in or operations
start-up. This support will bring the experience of management
personnel who have started new design and manufacturing
operations for existing companies, staffed support services
contracts at government installations and functioned as
the general manager while changes in plant management were
implemented.
(Top)
Cost
Analysis and Estimating
MCS offers a cadre of personnel experienced
in cost analysis and estimating. This experience is primarily
associated with the design and fabrication of aerospace
hardware, prototype, and both experimental and short-run
production hardware. This experience in cost analysis and
estimating includes working from verbal and conceptual ideas
to fully detailed blueprints, which describe hardware ready
for production.
(Top)
Market
Analysis
MCS has personnel whose careers have
entailed market analysis to determine the feasibility of
developing new product lines, opening new facilities, expanding
existing facilities, and when analyses indicate the necessity,
closing facilities. This experience has included evaluation
of the government's budget allocation to various industry
segments and military programs to where to target market
opportunities and subsequently, the allocation of resources.
We have recognized a key element in market analysis is to
identify the funding source for any targeted business opportunity.
This experience can be very beneficial to MCS customers
in implementing their business plans and identifying growth
potential.
(Top)
Patent
Applications
MCS has experienced patent agents on
staff who can assist in patent research to determine the
feasibility of pursuing a patent on a new process or product.
This research would include patent searches through appropriate
databases and would identify any existing related patents.
MCS can provide assistance in pursuing patents where none
currently exist.
(Top)
Strategic
Planning
MCS personnel have their principal strategic
planning experience in the highly competitive and complex
aerospace industry. Our government experience has been principally
with NASA but also includes the military. Our experience
with the private sector includes strategic planning and
business development with virtually the entire domestic,
and many of the foreign, aircraft manufacturers. The planning
has included monitoring and targeting new product development,
forecasting realistic market share, capture planning, developing
the resources (facilities machine tools and personnel) to
meet customers' needs and forming alliances with the potential
customers.
(Top)
Website Design/Hosting
Through
our associate consulting organization, Image South Media
(ISM), MCS offers Custom Graphics Design and Desktop Publishing,
Professional Copying and Website Hosting. Together, MCS
and ISM bring the synergy of a technical and business management
organization combined with a firm experienced in providing
innovative solutions for advertising and marketing concepts,
technical database applications, customer service, and promoting
company awareness through the Internet.
(Top)
Quality Assurance Plans
MCS
offers the skills of experienced associates who can implement
Quality Assurance Plans for the new manufacturing company
or direct the implementation of an ISO 9000 Quality System
for the more mature organization. Plans can address Quality
Planning, Customer Satisfaction and Continual Improvement
along with specific procedures for Material Traceability
and Inspection System Procedures including Inspection Plans,
Non-destructive Testing, Configuration Control, Calibration,
Inspection Status, Non-conformance Procedures and Documentation.
Plans can also address Verification Equipment and Subcontractor
Control. Independent audits of existing Quality Assurance
Systems can also be performed to verify system integrity
or to spot areas of deficiencies that need to be improved.
(Top)
|
