Orchid Introduces the Reorganization of PMO
What initially began as a concept in April 2017 has evolved into a structured, organized model with multiple working parts to ensure success for the company, as well as the customers. Led by Orchid’s own Vice President of Product & Process Innovation, Ted Bloomfield & Senior Manager of Project Management, Jason Koehn, reorganizing the Project Management Office has also been key to centralizing customer correspondence and communication. “Both the understanding of the scope changes and having a dedicated project manager for customers to interact with directly regarding project status have been pivotal factors in advancing our New Product Introduction Process. It is always a continuous journey and our team is highly regarded. We understand our customers’ needs and continue to work diligently to exceed those expectations.” Ted stated. “One of our goals is to achieve functional excellence by standardizing teamwork, tools and templates. To create a community that exceeds our customer’s expectations”, Jason added. We have worked diligently toward centralizing each project with a dedicated project manager at each site, as well as tracking and reporting status throughout each step in the process. In the future, we look forward to focusing specific processes, skills, knowledge, resources and behaviors in a continuous improvement effort to ensure that we are providing a high-quality product and high-quality information to our customers.
Orchid Launches APQP as a Standardized Process (Advanced Quality Product Planning)
Alongside the steps that we have taken to refine our PMO journey, Orchid has also recently launched APQP to be implemented into company practices. Utilizing this approach, we are confident that we will be a leading manufacturer in NPI, proving firsthand to our customers that we can deliver high volume under strict requirements.
Orchid Proudly Endorses Higher Education
As we continue to look forward to the future and potential project opportunities, Orchid is a proud supporter of higher education, assisting with tuition reimbursement, as well as certifications and additional training. Orchid is home to multiple employees who have completed the PMP course and offers the opportunity to complete the course to all interested employees. “The project manager position is a very dynamic position; employees are interacting with multiple departments daily, reporting data, findings, and risks to upper management, and working closely with customers to ensure timely delivery. This position is a great stepping stone for employees to advance their career at Orchid.” Ted stated. “This is a great role for someone new to the company – by reorganizing the Project Management Office, we have increased collaboration internally across the sites and created a new set of tools for project managers to interact with multiple levels and departments across the organization,” Jason added. Recently promoted to Plant Manager at Orchid’s Chelsea facility, Jason Koehn is a great example of career development within Orchid, with Melissa Case, Orchid’s own Manager of Project Management & NPI, building upon Orchid’s successes as we continue to expand our product lines.
Orchid Expands Product Lines – Refining New Product Introduction Goals
As Orchid continues to grow and expand its capabilities, we look forward to expanding our product lines, as well as continuing to build strong working relationships with our valued customers. In order to achieve this goal in the upcoming year, we are focused on a disciplined plan that includes a rigorous scope management concept and resource management, as well as a definitive design process centered around operations support.
As we celebrate the successes that we have achieved, the future remains even brighter at Orchid.