A University of Wisconsin professor received national recognition for his work in creating a system increasing manufacturing efficiency for numerous local and national companies.

Former industrial engineering professor Rajan Suri is one of 10 IndustryWeek 2010 Manufacturing Hall of Fame inductees, recognized for founding the Center for Quick Response Manufacturing on campus, according to a UW statement.

Suri joins other prominent leaders in manufacturing in this year’s class, including Michael Dell, founder of Dell Computer and Rich Teerlink, former chairman and CEO of Harley-Davidson the statement said.

QRM helps companies reduce lead times enterprise-wide, which is the time from which a customer posts an inquiry about a product to the time the product is received, QRM director Ananth Krishnamurthy said.

“With a business such as a Wal-Mart, lead times are short because it’s just the total time you spent in the store. But what we do is help manufacturers that make custom products cut down on these lead times and operating costs at the same time, while making a quality product,” Krishnamurthy said.

More than 250 companies partnered with the QRM Center since its inception in 1994 the statement said, and Suri obtained all funding for the center from industry sponsors, as he strives for the manufacturing industry sponsoring its relevant work.

Krishnamurthy said the QRM Center works with companies from Wisconsin, the Midwest and even international companies, and added companies really grow during their partnership with the QRM Center.

One of the QRM Center’s local partners, TCI, LLC in Milwaukee, greatly benefited from working with QRM, Manager of Corporate Quality and Continuous Improvement Brian Sobczak said.

“We’ve been able to reduce our lead time on one of our primary products by over 90 percent, and that has proven to be a huge competitive advantage for us in the markets we serve,” Sobczak said.

Suri’s induction into the IndustryWeek Manufacturing Hall of Fame shows how the work on campus benefits the industry on many levels and is a sign of the research capabilities of UW, Krishnamurthy said.

“This award emphasizes the core strength of manufacturing research and practice at the UW. It also goes back to the Wisconsin Idea in that our research influences a significant portion of manufacturing in Wisconsin and the industry as a whole,” Krishnamurthy said.

Suri was in Europe Tuesday and not available for comment.