I toured Raytheon’s modernization and innovation center, where they are responsible for the integrated defense systems, including Israel’s “Iron Dome” and Patriot missiles. In order to be effective, they must balance execution and innovation. In addition, their increasing use of automation enables humans to focus more on value add activity, and the factory floor continuously changes to accommodate that. Their acronym is C2E3: Capacity, Capability, Efficient, Effective, and Expertise.
I walked away extremely impressed with their 3D immersive CAVE, which improved efficiency by 20%…they reached ROI in only 5 months! I could stand in the middle of this 360-degree environment and “move” parts in and out of the apparatus by waving my hands.
An example of their real time innovation is Operation Burnt Frost. They had to figure out a way to take down a dangerous hydrogen spy satellite that would have hit Texas, and only had six weeks to figure this out.
On their wall, they have mission assurance quotes that reinforce their focus on quality. After all, they are not building toasters here!
How do you innovate for quality?
