How Companies Benefit from Implementing Quick Response for High-mix, Low-volume Products

Learn from your Peers! How Companies have used Quick Response Manufacturing (QRM) as a Powerful Tool to Achieve Formidable Business Results

If you’re wondering how QRM is being applied in the real world or you want to pick up some tips and ideas from your peers, then this is the event for you!

Attendees at this virtual conference will learn how QRM strategies are being used across the enterprise – in quoting, order processing, engineering, manufacturing, purchasing and supply chain – to achieve significant results in reduced lead times, costs and overhead while simultaneously improving on-time delivery, productivity and employee satisfaction.

Conference schedule:

Stopping the Doom Loop: How QRM and POLCA Saved Us from Chaos
In 2018, New Ravenna, a manufacturer of luxury mosaic tile, faced catastrophy as growing demand and operational complexity overwhelmed it. Lead times exploded, customer confidence collapsed. To recover, it redesigned manufacturing systems and culture around lead time reduction. The combination of QRM principles, POLCA and mindset change has turned the company around: sales have increased over 20% while profitability has increased over 600%.
Presenters: Danielle Weatherly, Production Planning Director, Caroline Collins, Sales Director, Megan Lawson, Marketing Director and Richard Walters, CEO

Measuring Success in Rapid New Product Launches
At Dowding Industries, a contract metal fabricator, launching new products in days instead of weeks makes all the difference in the world to meeting new sales goals while impressing customers. Adjusting processes using QRM tools was the easy part; leading people through change was much more challenging. Keeping focus on the Lead Time Metric was one of the keys to success.
Presenters: Dave Barrett, Training Manager and Karmen Anderson, Product Launch Manager

Panel Discussion: Lessons Learned in the Trenches – How to be Successful with QRM
Facilitated by QRM Center director Charlene Yauch. Panelists are Paul Diedrick, Director of Operations, Woodway USA, Paul Ericksen, Supply Chain Advisor, Industry Week, Pascal Pollet, Senior Advisor, Sirris, and Kate Story, Plant Manager, Malco Tools.

How to Enable Fast Response and Increased Revenue During the Pandemic
In 2020, customized products at biotech manufacturer Promega Corporation grew 225% year-over-year with 585% growth in products used for COVID research/testing. To adapt, the company made multiple revisions to its team work structure: it leaned heavily on its established QRM principles to quickly and efficiently adjust to this increased demand and product mix.
Presenters: Steve Stencel, Senior Custom Project Analyst, Brandon Carnahan, Supervisor Custom Products and Zak Kooiman, Custom Order Specialist

How an Express Office Cell Led to Quick Turnaround and Great Customer Service
Sentry Equipment, a manufacturer of sampling equipment, created a quick response office cell (Q-ROC) to speed order fulfillment. The “Express Lane Cell” focuses resources on identifying simple orders, allowing the team to reduce lead time both in the Express Lane and for other orders.
Presenters: Karen Jones, Commercial Operations Manager and Megan Patterson, Master Scheduler

Paul Diedrick

Paul Diedrick is Director of Operations for Woodway USA, Fluid Power Energy Inc., and Filtration Systems Inc.  He has an extensive understanding of private and publicly held companies, having spent over 35 years in Operations for a wide variety of manufacturing companies.  Current responsibilities include operation management for three companies under the corporate umbrella (Fluid Power Energy, Woodway, Filtration Systems Inc.).

Prior to assuming the Director of Operations position for Fluid Power Energy, Paul was the Senior Manager of Manufacturing Services at National Oilwell Varco which manufactures top drives for ocean and land rigs. Before NOV Paul was the Manager of Technical Service for Joy Global which is a manufacturer of above and below ground electric mining equipment.

Paul is a recognized leader in Manufacturing who drives process improvements and cost reductions. Project leader for the team assigned to introduce QRM Manufacturing using 5s, problem solving, and change management to change the work environment. Team leader assigned to reduce lead time and work in process using Quick Response Manufacturing to guide the change.

Kate Story

Kate Story is the Plant Manager for Malco Products SBC in Annandale, Minnesota. She has been employed at Malco for the last 15 years, holding many different production and management roles. Her educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain and Logistics Management and Certification in Production and Inventory Management through APICS.

Kate is the champion for Malco’s QRM board and holds many of the educational objectives for new associates, including hosting an annual book club event for “It’s About Time.”  In 2018, Kate was project leader to form five QRM teams in production by key product lines. The teams have made a significant reduction to get approximately 20% of the products down to a three day MCT.

Paul Eriksen

Paul D. Ericksen retired from John Deere in 2006 after holding several managerial-level positions in the supply chain area over his 30 years of service. His last assignment at Deere was as process-owner of the company’s supplier development function. He later went on to serve a stint as Chief Procurement Officer at a Fortune 300 company. Ericksen has written widely on supply chain issues and currently serves as IndustryWeek’s Supply Chain Advisor. Paul advises companies and organizations on supply management strategy and practice, as well as promoting progressive changes in supply management strategy.

Pascal Pollet

Pascal Pollet works as a principal engineer at Sirris, the collective center of the Belgian technology industry, where he started doing research on POLCA in 2005. Pascal has been pioneering the introduction of Quick Response Manufacturing (QRM) in the Belgian industry and has helped many companies to radically shorten their lead times with QRM. He currently serves as the chairman of the QRM Institute, a European network of organizations who work together to spread the QRM strategy to as many companies and professionals as possible.

Pascal obtained a Master’s in Electrical Engineering at Ghent University in 1995.

Danielle Weatherly

Production Planning Director, New Ravenna

Caroline Collins

Sales Director at New Ravenna

Megan Lawson

Marketing Director at New Ravenna

Richard Walters

CEO at New Ravenna

Dave Barrett

Training Manager at Dowding Industries, Inc.

Karmen Anderson

Product Launch Manager at Dowding Industries, Inc.

Steve Stencel

Senior Custom Project Analyst at Promega Corporation

Brandon Carnahan

Supervisor, Custom Products at Promega Corporation

Zak Kooiman

Custom Order Specialist at Promega Corporation

Karen Jones

Commercial Operations Manager at Sentry Corp

Megan Weber

Megan Weber is the Master Scheduler at Sentry Equipment. Sentry, an employee-owned company, manufactures sampling equipment for customers all over the world. Prior to joining Sentry, Megan successfully implemented QRM at two manufacturing companies. Megan has experience in Continuous Improvement with not only QRM, but Lean and Six Sigma principles as well. She recently completed her APICS certification in production and inventory management.

Megan obtained a degree in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism from UW Stout and worked in the hospitality industry for 5 years before finding herself in manufacturing. She loves being part of the challenges involved in manufacturing. She enjoys playing an integral role at an organization with a mission to safeguard people and processes and she finds it rewarding to contribute to the success of a great organization. Outside of work, you will find Megan behind a camera with her photography business, working out and spending time with her daughter and their boxer dog, Valarie.