University/Industry partnership in transferring continuous process improvement technology

This case study describes a university 's cooperation with a manufacturer in implementing a continuous process improvement program. Included in the case study are a description of the NIST Manufacturing Extension Program, the manufacturer, the QUICKSTEP&z.ast; methodology of continuous process improvement, a QUICK STEP case study, and the manufacturer's results from using QUICK STEP. The basic foundation of the QUICK STEP continuous improvement process is the compression of time in all ways possible from the receipt of an order through the receipt of payment. The university participated in the manufacturer's improvement process by assisting in the focus groups to conduct critical assessments, documenting the QUICK STEP process and providing real world learning experiences to students.