Masterclass POLCA – the people-friendly production control system – October 14
POLCA (Paired-cell Overlapping Loops of Cards with Authorization) is a card-based visual control system that manages the flow of jobs through the shop floor: at each operation, it controls which job should be worked on next to meet delivery targets. POLCA ensures that upstream operations use their capacity effectively by working on jobs that are needed downstream, while at the same time preventing excessive work-in-process (WIP) build-ups when bottlenecks appear unexpectedly.
As a result, jobs keep flowing through the factory and managers, supervisors and planners see solutions to problems rather than getting lost in the complexity.
POLCA is particularly suited to companies manufacturing high-mix–low-volume and custom products, for which kanban systems do not work well. These companies often struggle with long lead times, late deliveries, and daily expediting. POLCA has delivered impressive results in such companies, including 50-75% reduction in inventory and lead times, and on-time delivery improved to over 98%.
Read how POLCA strengthens your production on Sirris’ blog!
Based on practical implementations in many industries, POLCA has proved itself to be a ‘people-friendly’ system.
“The folks on the shop floor love the system. They are the ones that are singing the praises of POLCA.” – Production manager at an electro-mechanical products company
“The technical aspects of POLCA are one contributor to its success. However, human issues have played a major role in the acceptance of the system by people in a company.” – Professor Jannes Slomp, Expert on Sociotechnical Systems, The Netherlands
Masterclass Content
- The need for a new control strategy: see why ERP/MRP systems and Kanban do not work well in low-volume or custom environments.
- Understanding POLCA: learn the simple rules that drive this visual card-based system, and the operational benefits that result.
- Computer simulation: experience how POLCA works in an example company through this visualization.
- Overview of new book on POLCA: get a “walk-through” of Suri’s new book with tips on how to use it to support your POLCA system design and implementation.
Industry case studies: see practical examples showing the effectiveness of POLCA for companies in many industries in USA, Canada, and Europe.
Course instructor: Rajan Suri
Professor Suri is the Founding Director of the Center for Quick Response Manufacturing (QRM) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Suri is author of the original book on Quick Response Manufacturing. He is also the inventor of the POLCA system and author of The Practitioner’s Guide to POLCA. A full bio can be found here.
Practical information
The session includes a short break in the middle, and Q&A at the end.
The masterclass will be conducted in English. The handouts will be distributed before the start of the session. You will receive via email a link to the Zoom session.
Only 20 participants will be allowed for this online masterclass to enable sufficient time for interaction with the course instructor.
There is a possibility for Flemish companies to make use of KMO-portefeuille. (‘KMO-portefeuille’ must be requested at the latest 14 days after the course; if not, your application will be refused) (Sirris accreditation no. : DV.O105154)
For more information on KMO-portefeuille: http://www.kmo-portefeuille.be