Tuesday, June 16, 2009

8:00 - 9:00 a.m.

Using QRM to Redesign the Entire Manufacturing Process

Phoenix Products used QRM to reorganize the entire manufacturing process, including their supply chain. The focus on lead time reduction has brought many QRM-inspired changes to the company and quantifiable results in lead time reduction, labor productivity, sales growth, and an increase in inventory turns.

Phoenix Products Company Inc.

Founded in 1892 in Milwaukee, Phoenix Products is now a leading manufacturer of exterior lighting for the mining industry as well as marine, industrial and material-handling applications.

9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Reducing Patient Wait Time with QRM

Long patient wait times resulting in less revenue, high costs and low customer satisfaction led the Eye Institute to search for new solutions. QRM-inspired changes in physician schedules, patient flow and photography reduced excessive wait times and provided interesting insights for QRM's future application in the healthcare environment.

Eye Institute of Froedtert Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin

Located in Milwaukee, Wis., the Eye Institute provides diagnosis and treatments for virtually all eye conditions. It employs 170 people and handles approximately 70000 patient visits and 2400 surgeries annually.

10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

MCT: Map Your Lead Times - See the Opportunities

Whether you are focusing on your internal operations or your supply chain, if you want to reduce lead time, you need to precisely define it and measure it. Partnership efforts with QRM Center member companies have led to the formulation of Manufacturing Critical-path Time (MCT), a precise QRM metric for lead time, and a web-based MCT mapping tool. See how this tool works and learn how you can use it to find lead time reduction opportunities at your company.

11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Reorganizing Production at a Custom Fabricator to Reduce Manufacturing Critical-Path Time (MCT)

Facing increasing lead times for its main product family, Northern Wire used manufacturing critical-path time - a QRM measure for lead time – to reorganize production. The maker of a high variety of custom wire forms and wire fabricated products analyzed its operation, reconfigured into cells, and changed shop floor layout to improve the bottom line.

Northern Wire LLC

Northern Wire is a custom wire form manufacturing company supplying customers like John Deere, MTD, and Briggs & Stratton. Located in Merrill, Wis. the facility employs 175 people and recorded sales of $15 million in 2007.

1:30 - 4:30 p.m.

How to Create a QRM Culture

Learn how RenewAire has changed mindsets on the shop floor and National Oilwell Varco has emphasized the importance of reducing lead times across the enterprise. How can your organization foster a culture focused on lead time reduction? What issues can arise? How can the change be sustained? Join the discussion in this breakout session and find new ideas to establish a QRM culture in your organization.

Greg Renfro

Greg Renfro has three decades of experience in the design and development of oilfield products and has held executive positions in engineering, spares, service, rentals, manufacturing, information technology and operations. As Vice President of Global Manufacturing Strategy at National Oilwell Varco (NOV), he is charged with the challenging task of implementing QRM in a geographically and culturally diverse company with different manufacturing traditions.

Sara Woitte

Sara Woitte combines her background in psychology and community counseling with manufacturing management experience to achieve more efficient team functioning on the shop floor. As a manager at RenewAire, a long-time QRM proponent, she has observed and contributed to cultural change on the manufacturing shop floor.

1:30 - 4:30 p.m.

How to Measure Lead Time

Lead time is a powerful metric to drive improvement, but measuring it can be tricky. Learn from industry and academic experts about their experiences in measuring lead times within different organizations and at supplier facilities. Ask questions about the challenges you face in measuring lead times and get new ideas on data collection, analysis and more.

Bill Ritchie

With more than 25 years of general management and operations experience, Bill Ritchie brings an industry professional’s perspective to lead time measurement. He is a certified trainer in Quick Response Manufacturing and has led a variety of improvement programs that have generated dramatic reductions in cost and lead time.

Rajan Suri

The founder of QRM concept and its focus on lead time reduction, Suri is regarded the world over as an expert on the analysis of manufacturing systems.