Rapid Response Manufacturing
Consortium

Introduction

The RRM was a $65M Advanced Technology Program (ATP) administered by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and managed by the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS). It was established as a five-year collaboration (1993-97) involving four manufacturing companies –  Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Raytheon Systems Company (formerly Texas Instruments (Defense Systems Group), and United Technologies Corporation/Pratt & Whitney; a National Laboratory – Lockheed Martin Energy Systems (Oak Ridge Y-12); and six software development companies – the MacNeal-Schwendler Corporation (Aries Technology was the initial participant and acquired by MSC in 1993), Cimplex, Concentra (previously ICAD and now Knowledge Technology International), Spatial Technology, and Teknowledge (previously Cimflex Teknowledge). The program was administrated by the National Center for Manufacturing Science (NCMS).

In addition to spanning industry bases of Automotive and Aerospace, the companies addressed diverse markets spanning Commercial, Defense, and Governmental sectors.

Key to the success of the RRM was collaboration across very different companies. The companies were drawn from diverse industries (Automotive, Aerospace, Defense Systems, and a National Laboratory. Direct competitors participated from both Automotive (Ford and GM) and the Defense (TI and Pratt & Whitney) sectors.

Quickly (even if a little painfully) a culture of collaboration and cooperation emerged. Beyond that, skills were developed in forming relationships and trust in order to build many instances of collaborative environments. This was essential because the RRM had 100's of participants from diverse departments of the diverse organizations.

Additional RRM Information