Feasibility of Robotic Forming

CREATE YOUR PLAN

To help determine the purpose or to clarify the issue

Ask yourself these questions…

  • What are you trying to accomplish/achieve before you talk to your boss or sponsor To determine if robotic forming is a viable technology to us on our press brakes
  • What is the issue or problem Market indicating an unknown demand for this technology and competition is introducing this technology in ssales transactions. Also, our LBRs indicate we are losing more brakes to this technology
  • Is the improvement for an internal customer or external Are you trying to improve an internal issue or external issue External
  • Why would you want to make this change/What is the benefit to the stakeholders Compete in more transactions, grow our business, improve our image in the market place
  • What is your purpose DOES THIS MEET THE CORPORATEE GOALS To validate if this is a profitable idea, to see if this is a game-changing solution, to see if we can add to the company’s IP portfolio

TO DETERMINE|||||||||||||||IN ORDER TO (T-chart)

Look for sponsorship

A sponsor is typically your manager and can work across organizational boundaries…

  • Identify the appropriate sponsor(s)/person(s) that has insight and authority Kristina
  • Identify who should be involved/developing your team Mark, Ron Troy, Rick
  • The sponsor should control the resources Matt to Kristina
  • Establish checkpoints (Milestones) with your sponsor Matt provides this to Kristina

Review existing data/past history

  • Is this an old task or new task Old Task
  • Is there any existing information or data Limited LBRs, Ron, Mark, Troy CI was the first company to put a robot on a press brake in the ‘80s. CI put a robot in its showroom in the late ‘90s and canceled due to lack of resources. Have a loose relationship with an integrator for 6-7 years. Cost and floor space were prohibited. Mike (resource person) believes this might be a good time to revisit this technology.
  • If data exists, where is it, internal/external/both Check
  • Make sure data is still valid
  • Are there patents, copyright or legal rights Check patent registry
  • Inquire with personnel Identifying applicable CI staff to add data/information – internal field sales and Apps group, external integrators

Determine with whom you will talk/customer matrix

  • Will you talk with an internal or external customer External
  • Establish a customer matrix Who has robotic forming, the ones that don’t will be large progressive contract shops and progressive integrative manufacturers and integrators, companies that bought robotic forming systems that don’t like or use them

Number of customers to involve (moved below)

  • Which customers will have the best insight or information Answer above
  • Determine location of customer for defining resources Answer above
  • Rate the impact of each customer to smooth data/example with multiple locations vs single site May not fit in this section

Customer matrix example can be found (something similar to pg 57)

CREATE YOUR PLAN (cont’d)

Interview guidelines/ Form questions

I. How has robotic forming made an impact in your shop

II. Describe an ideal robotic forming system

III. Based on your experience describe what your next robotic press brake purchase would include.

IV. Why did you decide to invest in robotic forming

V. Based on your experience describe

Notes

  • Silent observation/looking/listening is as important as verbal
  • Open ended questions, see examples
  • Keep to five or six questions and do not be redundant
  • Organize your questions into related groups
  • Use the same questions from interview to interview
  • Interchange the roles of team members when interviewing
  • Practice your interviewing techniques
  • Send agenda, description of why you are interviewing and questions to customer

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RESOURCES

Manpower required

  • Number of people required four
  • Any special requirements, language, discipline
  • Propose a manpower worksheet worksheet that reflects where the people are traveling and when

Estimate budget

  • Number of customers to involve 3 OEM, 3 Contract Shop, 3 Integrator over three regions. Survey database for possible answer on who to contact
  • Travel required, overnight $18,900.00
  • Resources required Remove??
  • Purchased resources
  • Establish a cost worksheet

Manpower required

  • Number of people required
  • Any special requirements, language, discipline
  • Propose a manpower worksheet move above

Timeline

  • How long will the overall project take Establish questions, prep for face to face, call customers and schedule, evaluate the data at the end
  • How much time is needed for each team member
  • Propose a manpower Gantt chart

Review with sponsor/resource management

This is when you review your work with your sponsor…

  • Re-verify your path of VOC with the sponsor
  • Modify your path per your sponsor’s feedback
  • Establish future checkpoints with your sponsor

Approval

  • Do I proceed with the VOC project

Pre-interview Prep – Customer

  • Identify customers Specific customers
  • State who you are ..
  • Reason of your project ..
  • Identify interviewers ..
  • Outline time needed for each customer interview
  • Is a permission required for the customer to participate ..

Pre-interview Prep – Internal

  • Decide who is going to do the interviews
  • Rolls and responsibilities of each member
  • Mock interviews

+THE INTERVIEW