Empowering Small Manufacturers
With Expert Leadership and Program Development.
Your Manufacturing Leadership Partner
For small manufacturers with under 50 employees, scaling successfully requires world-class quality systems and tight operational safety. We act as your on-demand directors, bringing over 70 years of combined technical expertise directly to your facility for a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire. Whether you are accelerating toward AS9100 certification, optimizing a complex welding program with a Certified Welding Inspector (CWI), or looking to shed operational waste, we deploy executable systems built for the shop floor. No theories, no fluff—just transparent, candid, and measurable growth.
Let’s get your systems organized and your contracts secured.
Safety
Build documented, defensible safety programs that protect people, satisfy OSHA expectations, and reduce unplanned downtime.
Quality
Design and implement certification-ready quality systems that cut defects, stabilize output, and open higher-value contracts.
Operations
Strengthen welding, NDT, and process improvement programs so throughput, compliance, and on-time delivery move in the right direction.
Our Process
We start with a candid assessment of your current quality, safety, welding, NDT, and process performance. Together we define a clear roadmap that aligns certification goals, customer demands, and capacity needs. We then build and embed programs through a mix of on-site visits, remote working sessions, and team training, always focused on daily execution. Finally, we stay engaged as your fractional director, running reviews, audits, and improvement cycles so gains hold and results keep compounding.
Partner Behind Your Growth
Shephard Management Group is a technical consultation firm in Browns Summit, NC that provides fractional director-level leadership for small manufacturers. We focus on quality management, safety programs, welding and NDT governance, and process improvement, delivered through a subscription model that fits sub-50-employee plants. Led by President Robert Shephard, who brings over 22 years of hands-on manufacturing leadership, we operate with transparency and candor, translate standards into shop-floor practice, and back our work with proven certification timelines and growth results.
Proven Certification Expertise
Over 70 years combined experience turning AS9100, ISO9001, NQA-1 and AISC requirements into practical, auditable daily practice.
Fast Track
Guide small manufacturers between concept and certification, often achieving AS9100 readiness within ten months.
Driving Revenue Growth
Implemented programs that supported 400 percent revenue growth, backed by patents pending and transparent leadership.