Quality Digest has published a detailed article on the Volumetric Accuracy for Large Machine Tools (VALMT) project.  VALMT has been nominated for a Defense Manufacturing Excellence Award for "... outstanding cooperative efforts on technology development between government, industry and academia."

A joint project of NCMS called Volumetric Accuracy for Large Machine Tools (VALMT), partnering Automated Precision, Boeing, Siemens and Mag Cincinnati, has pioneered an innovative process and established new methodology in volumetric error compensation for large machine tools. Volumetric error compensation or VEC, is a true volumetric calibration that improves close tolerance and working accuracy of complex five- and six-axis machine tools throughout their entire working envelope.

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In an age when corporate survival often depends on robust, innovative strategies, companies are increasingly turning to mechanisms that provide effective planning and prognostication for the future. After all, why devote resources to a strategy without knowing where it will take the organization? Technology roadmapping helps companies answer critical “what, why, how and when” questions related to their manufacturing strategy, allowing them to formulate their strategic plan using a comprehensive and thoughtful approach. But not all roadmapping exercises are created equal – and a bad map is worse than no map at all.

The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences has developed a methodology for roadmapping that brings a holistic and proven approach to the discipline. Created through a collaborative project with IBM, Lucent Technologies, GM, Ford, Motorola, Kellogg’s, Kraft Foods, Coca-Cola, Siemens-Westinghouse, Baxter Healthcare, and Roche, the NCMS Roadmapping approach specifically targets technology management issues.  Organizations can utilize NCMS Technology Roadmapping services to smoothly integrate their manufacturing technology strategic plan with their overall corporate business plan.  Customers find the process is extremely valuable because of the buy-in required from cross-company participants. The structure of NCMS Roadmapping allows all stakeholders to see the entire system, rather than just their own individual “silos,” leading to innovation in solutions and greater understanding of the organizational ecosystem.

NCMS facilitates two sessions, each lasting two days, either on site or at our facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Utilizing a cross-functional team of the experienced roadmapping experts, the process produces a comprehensive set of roadmaps which address key business and technology planning areas:

• Strategy and mission
• Customer drivers and applications
• Competitive position
• Capability drivers
• Targets and priorities
• Manufacturing skills and architecture
• Capability and technology element evolution
•  Action planning
• Technology investment mapping      
• Risk mapping  

One of the many roadmapping success stories is Koops, a Michigan-based engineering firm that designs and builds automated assembly systems, robotic equipment and cells, vision inspection tools, and various test systems.  Faced with a downturn in the automotive sector – its primary client – Koops decided to invest in a strategic planning initiative that would allow the organization to expand its client base into new areas such as aerospace and defense contracting. NCMS experts roadmapped Koops toward a strategic vision for growth and diversification.  

The Koops roadmapping process identified competencies and opportunities in the target sectors. With the help of the mapping activity, Koops was able to identify an effective strategic approach to developing business with new clients, allowing the firm to actively and successfully pursue its target industries. At a time when many companies, particularly in the manufacturing sector, are downsizing or folding completely, Koops has been able to commercialize exciting new technologies, diversify its client base, and add several new jobs.

NCMS is currently working with 19 members of National Fluid Power Association (NFPA) to complete a Technology Roadmap for the fluid power industry. The work is generating an action plan of research objectives and strategies to achieve technology advancements in hydraulics and pneumatics. 

NCMS Roadmapping can help your organization create a roadmap to achieve mission-critical success goals in an uncertain economic time.

• Develop a better strategic plan for equipment and facilities
• Create of long range strategic vision
• Diversify client base and expand business opportunities       
• Coordinate all corporate planning initiatives
• Capitalize on internal capabilities and competitive edge   
• Plan for lifecycle maintenance
• Address support requirements for new technologies
• Create metrics and tools to help track roadmap objectives

For more information please contact:  

Alissa Roath (734) 995-3457 or alissar@ncms.org

In August, the United States Marine Corps tapped NCMS Educational Services to produce a pair of high-impact promotional videos highlighting the Corps’ Sense and Respond Logistics initiative. “Sense and Respond is a robust new approach to tackling issues of maintenance, readiness, and lethality,” said Bob Appleton of R.W. Appleton & Associates, a chief project consultant. “It will allow the Marine Corps to be better prepared, quicker to the fight, and highly accountable for all equipment. We turned to NCMS to develop two short videos that communicate the value of this philosophy.” 

NCMS Educational Services is the multimedia development and knowledge transfer arm of the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences. “We have produced several exciting, kinetic videos for a wide array of clients in the past,” said Bill Chenevert, General Manager of Educational Services. “This time the team really took the project far beyond what anyone was expecting. Five days of location shooting, major special effects shots; it was our most ambitious video project yet.” 

The first video, debuted at the Modern Day Marine Symposium in late September, highlighted the four key elements of Sense and Respond: Asset Tracking, Serialized Item Management, Condition-Based Maintenance, and Total Lifecycle Management. Each of these foundational elements are triggered by the application of Item Unique Identifier (IUID) tags to all equipment. Once tagged, a simple hand scanner allows every end item to be tracked and monitored across its entire lifecycle, creating a holistic maintenance opportunity and a centralized data access point for all materiel.

The second video will debut at the DoD Maintenance Symposium in Phoenix on October 26-29, retelling the story of Sense and Respond and IUID as a backdrop to live presentations. “I cannot tell you what an incredible journey this has been thus far,” said Major Brian Spooner, Ground Ordnance Maintenance Officer for the Marine Corps. "I wish everyone could come to Phoenix to watch our team dazzle the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the DoD leadership, as well as the very senior leadership within all of the Armed Forces. We absolutely would not have been able to pull off such a professional product without the NCMS team.” 

Originally tasked with developing e-Learning tools for corporations, NCMS Educational Services has dynamically branched out into video and multimedia production, creative services, web development, and games-based learning applications.

For more information please contact:  

NCMS Program Manager Bill Chenevert at (734) 995-7989 or billc@ncms.org

NCMS made arrangements with the Department of Defense (DoD) for this technology showcase at the Tobyhanna Army Depot (TYAD). This unique opportunity to present innovative technology solutions and meet directly with maintenance personnel was available to NCMS members and invited guests.

Tobyhanna Army Depot (TYAD) is the largest, full-service electronics maintenance facility in DoD and employs over 5,700 workers.  TYAD’s mission is total sustainment, including design, manufacture, repair and overhaul of hundreds of electronic systems that include satellite terminals, radio and radar systems, telephones, electro-optics, night vision and anti-intrusion devices, airborne surveillance equipment, navigational instruments, electronic warfare and guidance and control systems for tactical missiles.

A recent article highlights "...the work of 19 National Fluid Power Association (NFPA) member companies have worked with the NFPA and the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) to complete a technology road map for the fluid power industry. The work is an action plan of research objectives and strategies to achieve technology advancements in hydraulics and pneumatics."

NCMS Technology Roadmapping helps companies answer critical“why, what, how and when” questions related to their manufacturing strategy, allowing them to formulate their strategic plan using a comprehensive and thoughtful approach.

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For more information please visit: http://roadmapping.ncms.org/

The second annual member meeting of the Robotics Technology Consortium (RTC) is being held today in Sterling Heights, MI in coordination with the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research and Development Engineering Center (TARDEC). The meeting will include notable speakers such as Dr. Grace Bochenek, Director of TARDEC and Dr. Jim Overholt, Director of the Joint Center for Robotics at TARDEC as well as a tour of their impressive facility in Warren, MI.

Formed in 2008 to speed the creation and deployment of ground robotics technology, the RTC has doubled its membership from 88 to 178 members in the first year.  Working closely with the Department of Defense, the RTC helps to match technology concepts with military priorities and then informs and engages industry to develop those technologies, all in record time from RPP to award.  Using this successful formula, the RTC has funded 17 technology proposals since 2008.

The RTC and the NCMS take pride in the rapid growth and progress of the consortium and its distinguished membership which includes companies such as iRobot, Carnegie Mellon University, Boeing and Lockheed Martin as well as its ability to engage smaller companies with big ideas, those of which make up over 70% of the current membership.  This unique membership base enables partnerships and problem solving between government and industry, in ways which further the technology of ground robotics at an unprecedented rate.

“NCMS has put their extensive resources behind the RTC,” said Helen Greiner, RTC President.  “They are an excellent interface for private industry to government and have established a communication forum for the industry, in addition to helping establish the RTC brand identity.”

Located in Ann Arbor, MI, The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) is the administrative agent and government interface to the RTC. “The NCMS worked directly with the robotics industry to form the RTC in 2008,” said Rick Jarman, NCMS President & CEO and Chairman of the RTC. “We used our experience of over 23 years in collaborations to help drive the success of this consortium to its impressive status today.”

Membership in the RTC is open to U.S. companies, academia and non-profits operating within the robotics industry.  Information and an application for membership can be found on the RTC website at www.roboticstechc.org or by calling (734) 995-3098.

About RTC

The Robotics Technology Consortium (RTC) is a non-profit, industry organization formed in 2008 to speed the creation and deployment of ground robotics technology for the Defense Department and other Government organizations. Administered by the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS), the consortium was established to meet a need identified by the Office of the Secretary of Defense Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise (OSD/JGRE) and currently has a membership of over 178 large and small commercial companies, academic institutions, and non-profit organizations. The RTC seeks to solicit and engage companies and organizations that may not have historically performed work for the Defense Department and other Government organizations in addition to traditional defense contractors.For more information, visit http://www.roboticstechc.org/

About NCMS

The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) is the largest cross-industry collaborative research and development consortium in North America, and is the only consortial effort in the U.S. devoted exclusively to manufacturing technologies, processes and practices. NCMS is the administrative agent for the Robotics Technology Consortium (RTC) and has over 23 years of experience in the formation and management of complex, multi-partner collaborative R&D programs, and is backed by corporate members representing virtually every manufacturing sector.For more information, visit http://www.ncms.org