ABSTRACT
The transition from Push to Paired-cell Overlapping Loops of Cards with Authorization (POLCA) was relatively smooth, and the speed of the transition was astonishing. The original co-champions of the POLCA Implementation Team were Jason Bachman and Todd Carlson, and other members of that team were Brian Larson and Kurt Norling, both in manufacturing leadership. The team then looked at the product structure, which included the bill of material and routing structure. POLCA has worked well for us since we instrumented the entire factory, and, as explained at the end of this chapter, the results have continued to pour in. POLCA should be part of consultants’ orientation for new employees, particularly for people involved in production areas. In addition to its aluminum extrusion operations, Alexandria Industries has capabilities of precision machining of ferrous and non-ferrous products, heatsinks, plastic injection, and foam-molding components, as well as finishing, high-level assemblies, and welding services.
