Ingersoll Cutting Tools

Rockford, Illinois – www.ingersoll-imc.com

Ingersoll Cutting Tools is one of the world’s leading suppliers of metal removal tooling.

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QRM Background

The company started working with students and faculty of the QRM Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to reduce order processing time. Detailed analysis showed that order processing frequently took over ten days, including 80 steps through twelve departments. The diagram on the right illustrates the time-consuming process.

Redesign of Order Processing

  • Together with the QRM Center, Ingersoll Cutting Tools applied QRM principles to redesign order processing
  • The company decided to focus on the market for “modified standard cutters” (Focus Target Market Segment)
  • Implemented a Quick Response Office Cell (Q-ROC) consisting of two people that could perform all order processing-related tasks (receive order, send quote if requested, create manufacturing drawing, release bill of material, create and release routing, create NC program)

Results

  • Office lead time for orders reduced to under a day
  • Did not require any major technology investment
  • In three years, orders went up by 600%