Necco Wafers®, Clark® Bar, Sweethearts®, Mary Jane®, Mighty Malts® Malted Milk Balls, Haviland® Thin Mints, and Candy House® Candy Buttons®; Wow, what a blast from the past! These great American classics conjure images of hot summer days, worn out cut-offs and endless free time. They are a tribute to the American spirit and the hard work that made this Nation great. Thanks to The New England Confectionery Company (NECCO), these cherished candies are 100% all natural and still available for enjoyment today.

Dating back to the summer of 1847, Necco is the oldest multi-line candy company in the United States. 162 years later, in late 2009, Necco had the type of problem that most companies hope for: their sales team had done too good of a job selling. They weren't sure how to make and package all the candy they needed for the upcoming Valentines season. Necco would have to nearly double their throughput on old equipment and do so in less than 4 months.

Through mutual relations Munro & Associates was introduced to Necco and the journey began. With a short window to show our worth, Munro poured in with a no-holds barred attitude and became an integral part of the team that made the season a success. First order of business: quickly eliminate rolling shut downs being caused by material shortages and boost capacity in existing systems. Munro is different from most other consulting companies; we put feet on the floor and got to work. Armed with 22 years of lean manufacturing experience, Munro applied 5S principles and sound machine engineering to make the plant hum. We sought out the veterans in the plant to jointly identify where excess capacity was hiding and immediately brought it to bear. We sourced, managed, and validated the installation of a new production line in five weeks. We helped manage the successful launch of a third shift, and even served as emergency production supervisors in a pinch.

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Munro has always recognized that cost metrics are critical to building a business case for any change or improvement. Upon analyzing many options, good "Total Accounted Cost" modeling helps focus a team on effective, right-first-time execution. As we have developed our internal capability to estimate cost, we realize that "costing" means different things to different people. Following is a list of five areas that require differing approaches, metrics and methods to develop good cost models and analyses.

• Requirements versus Cost
• Individual Components Should Cost
• Factory Assembly / Production Cost
• Quality and Reliability Cost
• Lifecycle Operations and Sustainment Cost

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On Tuesday, May 25th 2010, The Cigar Factory in Troy Michigan was the scene of an evening of camaraderie and honor as Munro & Associates hosted a charity event with all proceeds to benefit the CIGARS FOR TROOPS campaign.

Munro & Associates wanted to show its support for our men and women overseas. As a small engineering consulting firm with vast experience working with the military in programs, both domestic and NATO, Munro has excelled. Experience on programs such as the Virginia Class Submarine, Excalibur, Challenger 2E tank, Stryker MGS and the SeaLift Command Ships makes Munro a leader in providing higher reliability and functionality with lower total accounted costs. Munro is helping lead the way towards A New American Industrial Revolution.

Joe Feord, VP Business Development for Munro & Associates, planned and organized the evening. With plenty of delicious food and drink, and many cigars enjoyed, the event was a fine success. Several items were raffled off, ranging from a silver cigar cutter to the Grand Prize of a Remington Rifle from Dicks Sporting Goods. In all, this event raised nearly seven hundred dollars to go towards the CIGARS FOR TROOPS campaign.

CIGARS FOR TROOPS is a five year old endeavor that seeks to supply our military men and women with a sorely missed element of home life. Considering the danger and risk that our brave soldiers face daily, being able to enjoy a cigar from home is considered to be precious time. Cigar aficionados have stepped up and provided an opportunity for us at home to deliver a chance for our boys to unwind.

At The Cigar Factory in Troy, owner Dan Jenuwine keeps the cigars fresh and real. Family friend John Czerewko explained that the program began small with a call from the Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. Deputies had raided a warehouse and discovered a large amount of cigars. Sheriff Bouchard wanted to donate the cigars to the troops overseas. First, he wanted to know if the stash was counterfeit or legitimate. The Cigar Factory experts were called in.

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On Friday, April 9, 2010 the 53rd annual ROTC Awards Banquet was held at the Dearborn Inn in Dearborn, Michigan. This event, sponsored by the Michigan chapter of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), honors the top Cadets and Midshipmen with the highest scholastic and military achievement in their respective programs.

The Munro & Associates Award is presented to the Junior Cadets and Midshipmen demonstrating the most outstanding academic achievement. Representing Munro to present this prestigious award were Mr. Joe Feord, V P Business Development, and Mr. David Oberholtzer, a Design Prophet at Munro.

In presenting this award Munro & Associates is reinforcing its commitment to our armed forces and recognizes the dedication and leadership that the honorees have displayed.

Recipients of the Munro & Associates Award this night were as follows:

• Cadet Bradley Jodoin: University of Michigan: Army
• MIDN Ryan Klenke: University of Michigan: Navy
• Cadet Matthew Kohl: Western Michigan University: Air Force
• Cadet Joseph Miller: Eastern Michigan University: Army
• Cadet Todd Pepino: Ferris State University: Army
• Cadet Sterling Raehtz: Michigan State University: Army
• Cadet Anna Sheppard: University of Michigan: Air Force
• Cadet Keegan Shannon-Lohenry: Michigan Tech University: Army
• Cadet Shane Sinda: Michigan Tech University: Army
• Cadet Elizabeth Slabaugh: Western Michigan University: Army
• Cadet Meredith Steggerda: Northern Michigan University: Army
• MIDN Alex Swies: Great Lakes Maritime Academy: Navy