Milward & Associates International
Milward & Associates International
Leaders in Organization Performance Improvement
Mark D. Milward
President & CEO
Our History
Milward & Associates International was founded in 1987 as a Consulting firm specializing in Surface Mount Technology (SMT). In the early 1980s this electronics technology began to revolutionize the Electronics Industry worldwide. In the Aerospace industry the first application of SMT was designed for the U.S. Air Force and to be applied in the Flight Control Computer (Black Box) of the F-15 Fighter jets. Lear Siegler Inc. in Santa Monica, California was awarded the government contract to design and develop the printed wiring assemblies (PWAs) that comprised this navigation system. The manufacturing process for these PWAs consisted of electronic components that were mounted and soldered to the surface of the PWA and not inserted into the board and soldered as had been done with the previous through-hole technology. The advent of Surface Mount Technology enabled PWAs to be produced at less than a third of its previous cost versus the through-hole design and substantially improved the electrical performance of the circuit. In essence, Surface Mount Technology enabled equipment to be produced faster, at less cost, greater density, and with increased throughput rates. As a result, a new Industry was born in the United States and government along with private businesses began redesigning their circuit cards and converting the through-hole manufacturing process to a Surface Mount Technology process.
There was a significant capital investment to make the SMT conversion, ($1 million - $10 million) and it took the industry about 10 years to change. But, change it did, and Milward & Associates International was at the forefront of that change for ten (10) years converting outdated through-hole facilities to the SMT process throughout the United States. Those that resisted the change or that were unable to make the conversion were driven out of business because they could no longer compete in a marketplace that was able to produce electronic products at a third of its previous costs.
Leading Change
Milward & Associates International remains a change agent leading the change in business and government sectors with the application of Lean Six Sigma (LSS). While the rate of change is not expected to slow down in the near term. Evidence shows that change in many industries, including government will accelerate and just like businesses that resisted the change during the advent of the SMT era, those organizations that do not embrace these changes to become more competitive will not exist in the future. We are in a Global marketplace where businesses and government must equip themselves with the same competitive business tools that world leaders are using to beat their competition and remain dominant in their markets. No organization should ever expect to remain competitive when their competition is utilizing the strategies of Lean Six Sigma business practises and they are not.
Milward & Associates International provides the services of world-class experts that have a proven track record of turning around businesses and organizations from poor performance to excellent performance and increased profitability through the application of the Lean Six Sigma (LSS) business strategy. We utilize the training materials of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) and students that successfully complete training and pass the exam are granted a LSS certification certificate and membership into the IISE. Member benefits include networking with world-class IISE professionals, access to IISE professional development programs, discovery of new business and trade opportunities, and participation at Engineering Lean Six Sigma Conferences (ELSS), where a wealth of knowledge can be gain by attending LSS workshops and technical conference presentations. We are a Customer focused organization that works with our clients to shape their mission and vision for a successful business organization. We are Leaders in Organization Performance Improvement.