Successful Cell Implementation

Begin with a market opportunity or threat

Cellular manufacturing must begin with thinking about a specific customer need or complaint. Focusing on an internal customer is acceptable too. It is essential that you focus on a market where your improvements will be received with great enthusiasm. Marketing and salespeople in the organization must be involved from the beginning.

Find a product family for which lead-time reduction will make a highly noticeable change in sales or customer satisfaction or both

Some employees and managers will support the changes, but there will also be skeptics and people opposed to the changes. It is crucial that the first few implementations must make a huge impact so that the benefits achieved cannot be denied. The key is to focus on the common set of operations needed by the products.

Ensure that the chosen family is self-contained (minimize dependence on outside operations)

Choose a sample of parts and sort this list by descending order of sales. List the main processes needed for each category called a Process Set. Examine the top dozen Process Sets for likely candidates. Consider if some Process Sets can be combined. If there are obvious combinations you can make, do so and create a new process code for each set of processes that have been combined. Repeat this procedure until you find a suitable family with sufficient volume. If no family presents itself clearly, ask yourself if your business is too fragmented. It's important to examine this issue before attempting QRM.

AEC Named As TEKNE Award Finalist

Premier awards program recognizes Minnesota companies and individuals for technology innovation and leadership.

Alexandria Extrusion Company has been named as a finalist for a 2006 Tekne Award. Minnesota's annual Tekne awards recognize companies and individuals who have shown superior technology innovation and leadership.

The Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA) and Minnesota Technology, Inc. (MTI), in partnership with LifeScience Alley, join together to recognize technology innovators and leaders who have made lasting contributions to enhancing the quality of life and competitiveness of Minnesota.