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Quick Response Manufacturing at Phoenix Products

In its current issue Fabricator magazine published a detailed profile of Phoenix Products, a manufacturer of exterior lighting for the mining industry as well as marine, industrial and material-handling applications. The Milwaukee, Wis.-based company started QRM implementation in 2004 and has since achieved some impressive results, like reducing lead times for the light fixture on the left from eight to two weeks.

The extensive article highlights some of the familiar challenges for companies like Phoenix, that operate in a high-mix, low-volume environment: the benefits and limits of Lean, coming to terms with QRM's new ways of thinking about things like capacity utilization and batch sizes, and the significant benefits deriving from a focus on lead time.

Read the full-length article about Phoenix Products' QRM journey on the Fabricator magazine website. While you are there, you might also want to check out this overview of QRM and Rajan Suri's new book "It's About Time".

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What is QRM? ... a powerful tool for reducing lead times in all phases of manufacturing and office operations.

Quick Response Manufacturing (QRM) is a companywide strategy to cut lead times in all phases of manufacturing and office operations. It can bring your products to market more quickly and secure your business prospects by helping you compete in a rapidly changing manufacturing arena. It will increase profitability by reducing non–value–added time, cutting inventory and increasing return on investment. More

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Challenging Traditional Beliefs - Rajan Suri featured in APICS magazine

Rajan Suri, founder of the QRM strategy, is featured in the September/October 2011 issue of APICS magazine (Association for Operations Management). The article highlights his important contributions to the field of operations management and his long-standing connection to APICS.

In fact, the enthusiastic reaction to one of his articles published in APICS magazine in 1995 had lasting consequences. "THE APICS community's response to my article convinced me that I should elaborate on my ideas," Rajan Suri said. "I spent the next three years putting pen to paper, and, in 1998, I publishd my first book on QRM, Quick Response Manufacturing: A companywide approach to reducing lead times."

If you are an APICS member, you can read the full article on the APICS magazine website.

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Manufacturing Critical-path Time (MCT):
The QRM Metric for Lead Time

Prior to the formulation of MCT, no precise, unambiguous, practical, and universal definition for supplier lead time had been put forth. Such a definition is essential to the success of QRM: If you were interested in reducing lead time, you would need a precise definition of lead time. You can't reduce something if you can't even agree how to measure it!

Learn More ... [PDF]

 

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UPCOMING EVENTS

How to Design Office Cells to Reduce Lead Times for Custom Products
March 14, 2012

Engineering Centers Building
Madison, Wis.

 

How to Implement POLCA
April 11-12, 2012

DoubleTree Hotel
Madison, Wis.

 

Presentations of Student Projects with Industry
(QRM Center members only)
May 1, 2012

Engineering Centers Building
Madison, Wis.

 

QRM 2012 Conference
June 5-7, 2012

Arnhem, Netherlands

 

How to Implement Quick Response Manufacturing
July 17-18, 2012

DoubleTree Hotel
Madison, Wis.

 

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QRM In the News

Moving Beyond Lean: Quick Response Manufacturing
While lean's core techniques are designed to eliminate variability in operations it might not be the right strategy for low-volume, high-variety or customized products.

More...

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Videos

It's About Time: U.S. Manufacturers CAN Compete (4 min)

 

QRM in Channel 3 News

(2:30 min)

 

P&H Mining applies QRM in Restructuring

(4 min)