OCI's history and reputation are rich in proven accomplishments and forward motion.
Operations Concepts was founded in August of 1991 by Paul F. O'Connell, president & CEO, with $300 in savings and a dream to create the world’s most respected Industrial Engineering consulting firm. In the first year, O’Connell and his small professional staff, via subcontract, supported large architectural and design-build engineering firms with expertise in warehouse design and layouts, automated materials handling system designs, packaging and production line designs, and ergonomic work station designs. Due to the high volume of requests that Operations Concepts perform international work under its own direct contracts, the firm was incorporated in June of 1992 as Operations Concepts Inc. (OCI) and began work in Ireland and Puerto Rico one month later. By mid-1994, Operations Concepts had become a well-known name in the food and beverage and pharmaceutical manufacturing plants and warehouses of Puerto Rico, and throughout the Delaware Valley of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Quickly and quietly, OCI’s work performance guarantee and continually growing client reference list were gaining recognition and respect in the industry. OCI was also being noticed back at O’Connell’s alma mater, The Pennsylvania State University. In September of 1994, The Smeal College of Business Administration at Penn State awarded O’Connell with the Management Science and Information Systems Emerging Professional Award for recognition of outstanding career and service achievements. By end-of-year 1994, OCI had completed 11 successful warehouse and packaging line automation projects for 4 of the Top 10 Pharmaceutical Manufacturers in the world and was nominated as one of the fastest growing private companies in the Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey tri-state area by the Philadelphia Business Journal™.
In February of 1995, four of the top five Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) suppliers recognized OCI as one of the firms of choice for streamlining and enhancing the capabilities of their WMS software products. OCI’s insistence on having Industrial Engineers participate and/or lead on WMS implementation projects was recognized that same month in Industrial Engineering Magazine. OCI became very well known for, and continues to lead the industry in, the development and writing of client specifications for selecting and implementing WMS, TMS, MRP and ERP software applications for the best supply chain results.
By January of 2002, OCI had accomplished what no other firm in the industry had done. OCI had gained a proven, validated and referenced $220 million in first-year client savings and profit increases via implementation of OCI recommendations. Dunn & Bradstreet, among others, recognized these outstanding results and continues to validate OCI client-referenced savings to this day. In June 2002, Supply Chain Technology News Magazine, the leading authority on supply chain innovations at that time, rewarded OCI with top rankings in the Supply Chain Consultants Hot List for 2002.
Client’s Return On Investment (ROI) continues to climb.
By 2005, OCI’s reputation for “not accepting final payment without a client referral” had reached executive boardrooms, small and large, worldwide. This crystallized itself in the fall of 2005, when the largest financial institution in the world called on OCI to fix a critical Homeland Security process within their operations. Within 45 days from the start of project, the OCI team and client project personnel completed the implementation of OCI’s Lean engineering recommendations and, with little capital expenditure, achieved a 100% increase in throughput to this most critical process. The result was nothing short of a miracle according to many senior management officers of this financial giant.
By end of 2006, OCI again made industrial engineering and Lean engineering news worldwide with the continuation of an astonishing consulting service achievement; a proven, validated and referenced $307 million in first-year client savings and profit increases from the implementation of OCI recommendations. Our small firm continues to attain honored peaks on the consulting mountain. For example, Inc. magazine, in April 2007, named OCI as one of the fastest growing companies in the engineering services industry. We are leading the industry with proven results, confirmed by client references and testimonials.
OCI’s current and future challenges involve bringing the newest, most innovative ideas and technologies out of laboratories and think tanks, and into pilot production facilities and large scale manufacturing processes, and designing more environmentally friendly ways to deliver these products to the marketplace. Our efforts and expertise will focus on utilizing Lean and Green engineering methods and practices to better our global community. We welcome all client and industry challenges.
OCI’s professional staff members come to work excited and ready to accept client challenges like never before. Our Cherry Hill offices are brimming with engineering and management professionals from all corners of the world who possess academic backgrounds and extensive work experience in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Operations Management, Manufacturing Management, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Information Systems Analysis, Networking Analysis, and much more. OCI engineers and managers excel at providing exceptional performance-based services to clients in need of innovative problem solving. We combine dedication to client success with innovative thinking and practical application of Lean and Green engineering methods and practices, state-of-the-art technology solutions, hands-on knowledge, hard work, and proven expertise in the following specialized professional service areas:
With direction and purpose, OCI has evolved into the world’s leading independent and objective Industrial Engineering, Operations & Logistics Management, Project Management, and Systems Integration consulting organization.