| "QRM has been driven into their organization as the model to use in working with Wisconsin-based suppliers." Acting Director, QRM Center Frank Rath |
To see how the College of Engineering is helping Wisconsin manufacturing firms speed up product concept, design, production and delivery, simply look at the accomplishments of the Center for Quick Response Manufacturing (QRM). Since it was established in 1993, this center has been assisting firms in making their products more competitive through a strategy to cut the lead times in all phases of order fulfillment, including product development and manufacturing.
QRM helps to bring products to market more quickly, which enables firms to compete in a rapidly changing business environment, says Franklin J. Rath, the center's acting director and an associate faculty associate in the Department of Engineering Professional Development. The process not only makes firms' products more attractive to potential customers, but also has been shown to increase profitability by reducing non-value-added time, inventory and other wastes, thus increasing the return on assets, he explains.
Membership in the center -- a partnership formed of industry leaders and university faculty -- has grown from a small, core group of companies to include more than 40 manufacturers of various sizes, products and locations. The list includes such Wisconsin firms as Beloit Corp., Convertor Concepts, Ingersoll Cutting Tool, John Deere and Trek.
Paul Ericksen of John Deere Horicon Works says quick response manufacturing principles have helped both his company and its suppliers.
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A recent and ongoing example of the center's work is seen in John Deere Horicon Works' integrated supplier development program. Paul Ericksen, manager of integrated supplier development for Deere's worldwide commercial and consumer equipment division, approached center organizers in 1997 to explore ways of sharing QRM principles with their suppliers. "Deere had already done a significant amount of work to improve the internal efficiency of its own factories," says Rath. "They were now looking for ways to bring efficient manufacturing practices out to their supply base."
Ericksen, a member of the QRM center's industrial executive committee, explains: "We approached Frank Rath and Rajan Suri, industrial engineering professor and founder of the QRM center, for assistance in reducing waste in supplier operations through manufacturing cycle time reduction. Much of Deere's product cost is comprised of the cost of purchased parts. The thought was that reducing supplier waste would not only improve their competitiveness and margins, but at the same time, allow for reduced prices to Deere. QRM strategies proved to be a perfect match for this initiative."
Ericksen's greatest challenge has been convincing suppliers that time-based management will streamline factory operations. The simplicity of QRM has made it ideal for marketing this to them.
The QRM center offers a two-day introductory overview workshop. Deere has found that suppliers who attend lose many of their reservations about focusing on manufacturing cycle time reduction.
Deere also found that one of the things setting QRM apart from other "lean manufacturing" strategies is its computer modeling tool, MPX, which is easy to use and inexpensive. MPX models the flow of a product through a supplier's factory and enables the supplier to see how applying QRM will improve operations without first having to move machines or spend capital. "When you can create a model for owners and show how applying QRM principles will reduce waste, they are usually ready to act," says Ericksen.
The Deere program has mushroomed to the point where their engineers are now introducing suppliers to QRM. "This way the center leverages its efforts and reaches many more people," says Rath. "QRM has been driven into their organization as the model to use in working with Wisconsin-based suppliers such as Danfoss (Racine), Fisher Barton (Watertown), Nelson Division (Stoughton), Northern Wire (Merrill), R&B Grinding (Racine), T.J. Brooks (Milwaukee) and Weasler (West Bend)."
Three UW-Madison engineering graduates who now work at Deere recently presented information on the supplier development program to members of the Center for Quick Response Manufacturing. This was one of the center's many technology sharing opportunities offered throughout the year. "These workshops end up being great sounding boards and a remarkable way of disseminating information among members," says Rath. The center typically holds such workshops quarterly; they are free to members but are also open to non-members.
In its training and consulting work, the center assists small and medium-sized Wisconsin manufacturers such as Electronic Theater Controls (Madison) and Convertor Concepts (Pardeeville), and large companies like Alcoa (Davenport, Iowa).
Additional and detailed examples of the center's work with Wisconsin companies can be found in Professor Rajan Suri's recent book, "Quick Response Manufacturing," published by Productivity Press. Ericksen says his engineers use the book in their supplier training seminars.
--By Amy Krueger--
| For further information, please contact: |
Franklin J. Rath, 608/263-5989
rath@engr.wisc.edu
www.qrmcenter.org
Copyright 1999 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System
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Date last modified: Wednesday, 03-Mar-1999 12:00:00 CST
Date created: 03-Mar-1999
