Trillium Flow Technologies CEO David Paradis, left, and then Fresno Mayor Lee Brand cut the ribbon on the new Trillium Pumps USA facility in south Fresno in October 2020. Photo by Frank Lopez

A consulting company is helping a Fresno manufacturer with its expansion plans.

California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC) is working with Trillium Pumps USA in Fresno to help the manufacturer through a plant expansion by paying for a lean manufacturing workshop and leadership skills training as well as finding funding opportunities and operating efficiencies.

Torrance-based CMTC is a nonprofit corporation that provides consulting services to small- and medium-sized manufacturers in the state.

Trillium Pumps USA serves clients in the power, oil and gas, water, and wastewater industries with valves, pumps and actuators. It has manufacturing and service locations in Canada, China, France, Italy, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the US.

Trillium Pump’s Fresno operations have produced the company’s “Floway” range of vertical pump products for 80 years. In 2021, Trillium’s Salt Lake City, Utah, operations were consolidated to Fresno.

In 2020, the Fresno plant was competing with another Trillium plant and at risk of closing if the on-time delivery and performance did not improve. Company leaders reached out to CMTC with a request for assistance to pursue employment training panel funds, implement lean manufacturing tools, deliver leadership skills training and improve operations to stay competitive.

CMTC assembled a team of local economic development professionals and arranged a meeting with the director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.

This helped Trillium’s Fresno plant receive approval for $180,000 in “Critical Pathway” funding from CMTC to support the expansion.

CMTC also assisted with Trillium securing a $10,000 Workforce Investment Board grant for lean manufacturing training.

Following the engagement with CMTC, Trillium’s Fresno plant added 75 new jobs, retained 12 incumbent employees, and invested $3.2 million in new capital improvements, according to a news release.