 Marlow provides thermoelectric products to markets, such as defense, space and medical. Originally founded in 1973 to serve the defense market, Marlow Industries is now a worldwide leader in the thermoelectric industry, says Kevin MacGibbon, director of global manufacturing and engineering operations. The Dallas-based subsidiary of II-VI Incorporated provides thermoelectric products – such as individual thermoelectric coolers, subsystems and end-products – to the defense, space, photonics, telecommunications, medical, industrial and consumer markets. “We offer each of our markets the highest-performing materials and products,” he says. “We specialize in providing customized thermoelectric solutions configured specifically to our customers’ needs and requirements that optimize the performance of their product or application,” MacGibbon says. “In cases where further optimization is not needed, we offer a complete array of standardized products.” MacGibbon recently took time to speak to Manufacturing Today about Marlow’s advantages, product lines and quality.
Manufacturing Today: What sets your company apart or what do you do best?
Kevin MacGibbon: Marlow Industries is a global leader in high quality thermoelectric technology. Marlow’s advantages in the marketplace are value-added engineering leading to custom-designed products, the highes quality indicated by the Malcolm Baldrige Award recognition, competitive costs due in part to our design-engineering capability at our technology center in Dallas and our off-shore manufacturing facility in Vietnam, and our dedication to excellence in R&D.
MT: How does Marlow Industries adapt to market changes?
KM: As the customer-centric business model continues to operate as the core of Marlow Industries, we react with our customers to market change. Marlow offers manufacturing in a low-cost environment due to our offshore facility in Vietnam. Marlow also invests in continuous quality system improvements. Marlow’s state-of-the-art thermoelectric solutions and value-added assemblies are custom-built to meet the requirements of our customers at a competitive price.
MT: How often does your product line change and how does manufacturing adjust?
KM: Since 90 percent of (Marlow Industries’) business is derived from custom-design thermoelectric solutions, our product line is continuously changing. In fiscal year ’08, we completed 155 new designs in engineering. We will continue to modify and add new manufacturing techniques. Our drive to decrease our design cycle times will continue to be an important activity.
MT: How does the company maintain and improve quality and productivity?
KM: We measure manufacturing quality through first-pass yield and final yield with yearly targets established for continuous process improvement. We measure production and throughput daily against established standards that are approved annually for continuous improvement. This year we improved yields by 1 percent, and next year we plan to do it again.
MT: How do your customers define quality?
KM: They expect and define quality by the following three parameters: 100 percent on-time delivery, reasonable cost and quality running below 500 parts per million. We will manufacture to a schedule driven by our customers’ request dates. We work with our customers to provide cost at the low-cost level for their needs.
MT: What is the company’s strategy in the current economic climate?
KM: Most companies are feeling a downturn, but we haven’t felt that and we may not. We will continue to monitor costs, drive new engineering designs and grow our global sales force to diversify and grow our markets.
MT: What are your growth goals?
KM: Marlow’s projection is to double our revenue over the next five years, investing a continuous 5 percent in R&D. We anticipate growth in all markets with industrial and automotive leading the way.
MT: What management philosophies do you use?
KM: We use our quality system to drive our business. We are perfecting lean manufacturing techniques such as kanbans, 5S programs, waste elimination, yield improvement and just-in-time manufacturing, SPC and DOE.
MT: What advice would you give to your peers?
KM: You have to embrace a quality philosophy from the beginning in order to run your business and drive it every day to to improve your quality, cost and output. |
