Are you looking for a production control system for your company? Perhaps POLCA is the solution! POLCA is the human-friendly production control system for high-mix / low-volume and customized products. Rajan Suri, founder of QRM and POLCA, will explain the operation in a masterclass on Thursday 25^th of March. He will also discuss the impact of this system on your production.

What is POLCA?

POLCA stands for Paired-cell Overlapping Loops of Cards with Authorization. It is a card-based visual control system that guides the order flow on the shop floor. With each operation, it checks which next task must be performed in order to achieve the delivery targets. POLCA ensures that the upstream production steps utilize their capacity effectively by working on tasks that are needed downstream. At the same time, it can prevent excessive work-in-process (WIP) when unexpected bottlenecks arise.

In this way, tasks keep flowing smoothly through the factory and managers, supervisors and planners can find solutions to problems, instead of getting lost in complexity.

Is POLCA suited for your company?

POLCA is extremely suitable for companies with high-mix / low-volume products and tailor-made products. Also companies for which Kanban systems do not work well, can benefit from the POLCA system. Such companies often have to contend with long lead times, late deliveries and daily accelerated checkouts. POLCA has already delivered impressive results in these companies. Including a decrease of 50-75% in stocks and lead times. And an improvement in the punctuality of deliveries to over 98%.

Content of the masterclass

In this masterclass the following components will be discussed:

• The need for a new control strategy. You will learn why ERP / MRP and Kanban systems do not work well in environments with low-volume or custom products.
• Understanding POLCA. You will learn the simple rules that govern this card-based system and the operational benefits that come from it.
• You will experience how POLCA works in a company through this visual representation.
• Overview of a new book on POLCA. You will be given a “tour” of Dr. Rajan Suri. You will get tips on how to use the book to support POLCA system design and implementation.
• Industrial case studies. You will see practical examples of the effectiveness of POLCA. The case studies are from companies in various industries in the US, Canada and Europe.

Prof. Dr. Rajan Suri

Professor Suri is founder and director of the Center for Quick Response Manufacturing (QRM) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Suri is the author of the original QRM book. He is also the founder of the POLCA system and the author of The Practitioner’s Guide to POLCA. You can find his full biography here.

Practical information

The masterclass will last about two hours. After an hour there will be a short break. At the end of the session there is time for a Q&A.

The language of instruction of the masterclass is English. The syllabus is distributed before the start of the session. The masterclass takes place via Zoom and you will receive a link by email.

Only 20 participants are admitted for this online masterclass. This leaves plenty of time for interaction with Dr. Rajan Suri.

When:                          Thursday March 25, 2021

Time:                            3.30 pm to 5.30 pm (extension possible)

Web environment:      Zoom

Cost:                            € 125 per person

The masterclass is organized in collaboration with HAN and Censor.