In the heart of Northumberland County, Function of Beauty—a fast-growing manufacturer of personalized luxury haircare—has built its brand around customization, innovation, and direct-to-consumer excellence. With its corporate headquarters in New York City, the company chose Paxinos, Pennsylvania, as the home for its manufacturing facility, where approximately 75 employees craft a growing line of hair, body, and skincare products. Since its founding in 2015, the veteran-founded business has experienced remarkable expansion, including major retail partnerships with Target, Walmart, Kroger, and Amazon.
That growth brought new challenges. As production demands increased and new product lines emerged, Function of Beauty recognized the need to improve operational efficiency through automation and leaner processes. Leadership identified a gap in team-wide understanding of Lean manufacturing principles—a critical skillset for eliminating waste and scaling up sustainably. The plant manager turned to the IMC to help launch their Lean journey.
IMC began by delivering a hands-on, full day “Introduction to Lean with Simulation” course, designed to give the team a practical, foundational understanding of Lean thinking. Through simulation and real-world examples, the training covered core concepts like waste elimination, value stream mapping, standard work, and visual management. The team quickly began identifying inefficiencies in their own processes, laying the groundwork for meaningful improvements across the plant.
Encouraged by the success of this initial training, Function of Beauty has committed to deeper development. The team will next complete IMC’s 7-module Lean Manufacturing Level One Practitioner Certification, demonstrating a clear and ongoing investment in process optimization and workforce capability.
Advancing Pennsylvania’s Strategic Vision
Function of Beauty’s Lean initiative reflects the goals of Pennsylvania’s 10-Year Economic Development Strategy, unveiled by Governor Shapiro. The strategy emphasizes strengthening the manufacturing sector, modernizing workplace practices, and building a resilient, future-ready workforce. By upskilling their employees and streamlining production, Function of Beauty is aligning directly with these priorities, positioning itself as a competitive, high-performing manufacturer rooted in Pennsylvania.
Moreover, the company’s focus on continuous improvement and waste reduction supports the strategy’s goals of enhancing operational agility, improving productivity, and ensuring long-term sustainability for manufacturers throughout the Commonwealth. With IMC’s guidance, Function of Beauty is proving that growth and efficiency can go hand-in-hand—and that innovation in manufacturing starts with investing in people.
