Quick response manufacturing

QRM: 10 Principles

By Luis Mtz

Rajan Suri developed the 10 QRM principles based on the fact that most of the managers in
manufacturing organizations had a lack of understanding of Manufacturing Dynamics such as
the non-linear relation between lot sizes and lead time.

To summarize technical training via basic principles to follow-up that can be easily
understandable, he came up with the following principles. Their explanation comes after
explaining the answers of 10 questions made to managers:

1: Find whole new ways of completing the job, with the focus on lead time minimization.

Summary: Optimize.

2: Plan to operate at 70-80% capacity on critical resources

Summary: Idle capacity as a strategic investment.

3: Measure the reduction of lead time and make it the main performance measure.

Summary: Measure lead time, of course, without affecting quality.

4: Stick to measuring and rewarding reduction of lead times.

Summary: Lead time enforcement.

5: Use MRP, but restructure the organization into simpler product-oriented cells. Complement
with a new material control method that combines the best of push and pull strategies.
Summary: Cellular manufacturing (divide an conquer, but give autonomy to reduced families of
products and services).

6: Motivate suppliers to implement QRM.

Summary: Include suppliers and customers as part of this program (point 6 and 7).

7: Educate customers about QRM, and negotiate a schedule of moving to smaller lot sizes at
reasonable prices.

8: Cut through functional boundaries by forming a quick response office cell responsible for a
family of products.

Summary: Point 5, although here the focus is to avoid functional boundaries.

9: The reason for embarking on the QRM journey is that it leads to a truly lean and mean
company with a more secure future.

Summary: QRM is not to increase service cost to our customers.

10: The biggest obstacle to QRM is not technology, but “mind-set”. Combat this through
training. Next, engage in low-cost or no-cost lead time reductions. Leave technological solutions
for a later stage.

Summary: Commitment and operations good design.

Out of these 10 principles, at least 3 seems to only enforce QRM (principles 6, 9 and 10), but the
rest will really mean a departure from the traditional manufacturing disciplines.