Rapid Tooling Inc. Implements A QMS and Gains Speed

RAPID Tooling Inc. was established in 1994 as a design house for custom "Quick Turn" tooling for the electronic assembly industry. With mechanical designers, machinists and machining facilities on site, they can go from concept to tool in a very short time.

The Situation

Speed, efficiency, and quality have been paramount to Rapid Tooling’s success. But in 2005 The company had started to outgrow the capabilities of its business process and customer orders were being delayed. Key symptoms included management structure issues, scheduling/delivery delays, and inconsistent quoting and project costs.

The owners, Dee Claybrook and Dion Casto, were looking for a solution when a friend told them about the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center (TMAC). All it took was a phone call and both were convinced they had found the right partner to lead the improvement.
 

The Solution

TMAC specialist, Randy Bohannon met with Rapid Tooling to get hands on experience with their facility and to fully understand their needs. The first step was to identify strategic issues. They agreed on four goals which formed the foundation of their project plan:

• Establish a management system
• Define and implement a quote process
• Define and implement a system to control procurement and usage of materials and purchased parts
• Establish a sales plan and budgeting process to provide 20% growth with 15% EBITDA

In April of 2006 implementation began. To satisfy the project goals, ISO 9001 QMS was selected. This accomplished defining and documenting key business processes and establishing key performance measures. Shi Bullard, a Human Resource Manger was hired

to develop job definitions and document responsibilities. Now a system was in place to set objectives, measure results and meet company goals. In order to ensure smooth transition and proper maintenance of the system, TMAC trained all personnel and appointed internal auditors to examine compliance. In December 2006, Rapid Tooling received their ISO registration. “We learned to work as a team,” said Bullard. Simple mistakes that used to cause big problems have been eliminated.
 

Results

Even in 2006 while the plan was being implemented the investment Rapid Tooling made started to pay off:

• Customer on-time delivery improved from 40% in Feb, to over 70% by year-end
• The company earned customer satisfaction ratings of 4.4 on a 5 point scale
• Vendor delivery steadily improved throughout the year to 74% – and continues to improve
• Vendor quality continued at a near perfect level – 99.6% for 2006

Sales went up to record levels. Orders and shipments exceeded the goal outlined in the project plan by 20% and 21% for the last 9 months of 2006. The extra revenue allowed Rapid Tooling to make more than $250,000 in new equipment purchases to support the growth.

Now, Rapid Tooling has a system in place to do what it does best: make custom tools, fast.

“Simple mistakes that used to cause big problems have been eliminated.”

Shi Bullard
Human Resources
Rapid Tooling