Mary Andringa, CEO - Vermeer Corporation and NAM Chair
Raymond Floyd, Senior Vice President, Suncor Energy, Inc.
Greg Kenny, President & CEO - General Cable Corporation
James Tetreault, Vice President, North America Manufacturing -- Ford Motor Company
Carol Williams, Executive Vice President of Manufacturing & Engineering - The Dow Chemical Company

Continuous Improvement 101
Advanced Continuous Improvement
Supply Chain Strategies

Intermediate Continuous Improvement
Workforce Management & Development

Cellular Flow Manufacturing Workshop
Six Sigma White Belt Workshop

Create an Uncompromising, Sustainable Safety System
Training Within Industry (TWI) Workshop

Using Value Stream Mapping to Focus Your Lean Efforts

Tuesday, April 24 - 9:00am - 10:00 am
Speakers:Bill Schumacher, Director of Manufacturing, Orbital Sciences Corporation
Ed Kestel, Director of Manufacturing, Orbital Sciences Corporation

Value Stream Mapping has become a key tool for lean practitioners at all levels. It provides a structured, consistent language for examining the operations of the organization, envisioning the new and improved state, and planning the necessary changes to make it happen. It is the roadmap that helps you focus your efforts on those areas that will have the most significant impact on your business. Attend this session to learn how to use the essential and fundamental value-stream mapping approach.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn how to create a current-state map which provides a clear picture of current material and information flow

• Discover how this simple, visual approach can help you identify which lean tools and techniques to use that will improve flow and eliminate waste

• Learn how to design a future-state map which shows better flow and waste removed

• Receive tips on how best to implement an action plan with your future-state map

Intro to Learn

Tuesday, April 24 - 10:15am - 11:15am
Speaker: TBA

Description Coming Soon...

So, You Wanna Kaizen?

Tuesday, April 24 - 1:45pm - 2:45pm
Speaker: Mike Thelen, Continuous Improvement Leader - Wells Enterprises -- Blue Bunny

Lean methods are becoming increasingly diluted as more companies jump into lean initiatives, for a variety of reasons. The kaizen event can be a powerful lean resource if done correctly and with the correct understanding. Would your company benefit from demonstrated improvements of more than 50% (whether changeover, 5S, standardized work, TPM or other actions) in a variety of settings? Attend this seminar, and learn how to prepare for, conduct and sustain event improvements. Take home a proven approach to kaizen events.

Key Takeaways:

• Gain an understanding of the kaizen event and how it differs from kaizen.

• Learn how to prepare for, conduct and sustain event improvements.

• Receive a proven kaizen-event format.

2011 IW Best Plants Winners Panel

Tuesday, April 24 - 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Speakers: TBA

Description Coming Soon...

5S

Wednesday April 25 - 8:45am - 9:45am
Speakers: TBA

Description Coming Soon...

Visual Management

Wednesday, April 25 - 10:00am - 11:00am
Speakers: TBA

Description Coming Soon...

How Lean Maintenance Helped Put E-Z-GO Back In The Driver's Seat

Wednesday, April 25 - 11:15am - 12:15pm
Speakers: John Collins, Vice President, Integrated Supply Chain - E-Z-GO Textron
Mike Fitzgerald, Director of Lean and Reliability Services - Advanced Technology Services, Inc.

Hear the E-Z-GO success story from John Collins, vice president of supply chain for E-Z-GO Textron. Relive the company's agonizing but necessary decision to reinvent itself by eliminating non-core activities. Understand the importance of establishing a vision that focuses on leadership and the workforce. And see the measurable difference a lean maintenance strategy made in E-Z-GO's manufacturing process. Maintenance expert Mike Fitzgerald, Advanced Technology Services, also will share best practices in lean maintenance.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn how maintenance creates a foundation for lean manufacturing.

• Hear the benefits lean maintenance delivered at E-Z-GO.

• Gain a better understanding of the critical elements of lean maintenance.

Adapting Lean for High-Mix, Low-Volume Manufacturing Environments

Tuesday, April 24 - 9:00am - 10:00am
Speakers: Dr. Shahrukh Irani, Associate Professor, Department of Integrated Systems Engineering - The Ohio State University Klaus J. Schmitt, Production Analyst / Project Manager - Hirschvogel Incorporated

There are thousands of high-mix, low-volume manufacturers that forge, injection mold, fabricate and machine hundreds, if not thousands, of parts with different manufacturing routings. Their manufacturing environments do not match those of Toyota or Boeing or Ford because they are job shops. How does one adapt lean for job shops or similar environments? The secret lies in using group technology and cellular manufacturing, a comprehensive strategy that was pioneered by small- to medium-size British enterprises, not Toyota.

This presentation will discuss the implementation of job shop lean at Hirschvogel Inc., a Tier 1 supplier of forgings to the automotive sector, and the performances being achieved as a result of the transformation.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn why lean in a high-mix, low-volume environment should not imitate the popular approaches used in low-mix, high-volume environments.

• Find out whether your manufacturing facility is suited for job shop lean.

• Understand how and why Hirschvogel chose to implement job shop lean in its Columbus, Ohio, facility.

Energy Efficiency -- A Competitive Advantage

Tuesday, April 24 - 10:15am - 11:15am
Speaker: Steve Schultz, Corporate Energy Manager - 3M

3M's corporate program to improve the energy efficiency of its operations reduces energy use, costs and related environmental impacts. Key to the success of this program is the improvement made in each of more than 200 worldwide manufacturing locations where plant energy teams work to identify and implement actions that save energy and improve profitability. This presentation will describe the methodology each plant energy team uses and the role of management in supporting the teams. Examples of tools used to measure and track results, communicate with employees, and resources to obtain assistance from outside organizations will be included.

Key Takeaways:

• Hear how 3M relies on plant-level energy teams to identify and implement actions to save energy and reduce costs.

• Learn how to make energy-efficiency improvements without significant capital expense.

• Discover tools to help measure the progress of your energy-efficiency efforts.

Alignment and Involvement: Bridging Strategic Planning with Daily Tiered Metric Standup Meetings

Tuesday, April 24 - 1:45pm - 2:45pm
Speaker: Jeff Powers, Vice President, Practical Process Improvement - Thermo Fisher Scientific

This presentation will highlight a successful top-level model to align the workforce with the vision and business strategy, and then involve the workforce through daily tiered metric stand-up meetings. Focus areas will include the strategy deployment process (three- to five-year objectives, annual objectives, annual initiatives, desired results and resources). Plus, it will connect the daily tiered metric stand-up meeting process (involving every employee, every day). This model helps the entire organization understand where the business is going in the long term and what needs to happen in the short term to achieve the desired results. The closing portion of the presentation will detail actual results in organizational performance. This will include employee engagement, quality, productivity and customer service/satisfaction.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn how to craft an annual business plan that supports the long-term strategic objectives of the collective organization.

• Understand how to communicate the vision for all to see it, understand it and understand how they impact the success of the organization.

• Discover how to create a daily stand-up meeting structure around tiered metrics that drives the results and realization of the business plan

Creating a Sustainable Culture at Harley-Davidson

Tuesday, April 24 - 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Speakers: Jim Fulkerson, Director Lean Production Systems, Global Advanced Manufacturing Group – Harley-Davidson Motor Co.

2011 IW Best Plants Winners Panel

Wednesday, April 25 - 8:45am - 9:45am
Speakers: TBA

Description Coming Soon...

Improve Your Problem Solving with an A3 Approach

Wednesday, April 25 - 10:00am - 11:00am
Speaker: Eric Ethington, Fellow, Lean Enterprise Institute

Although the roots of the A3 have been around since the 1960s, A3s are not well understood outside of a few organizations. Additionally, many organizations that have adopted A3s have not realized the true problem-solving benefits due to a lack of knowledge of a few basic elements. Attend this session to learn what an A3 is, why your organization should take an A3 approach to problem solving, along with the process behind the A3 form.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn the business case for using A3s to improve your organization.

• Find out how to create the A3 report.

• Learn how the process works for using A3s for problem solving

Streamlining Production with Cellular Strategies

Wednesday, April 25 - 11:15am - 12:15pm
Speakers: TBA

Description Coming Soon...

Rapidly Integrating a Newly Acquired Business

Tuesday, April 24 - 9:00am - 10:00am
Speaker: Mike Voigt, Executive Vice President of Carlisle Operating System, Carlisle Companies Inc.

Description coming soon...

Lean Six Sigma Transformation: Improving Safety on a Global Scale

Tuesday, April 24 - 10:15am - 11:15am
Speakers: Tyler Stillwell, North American FECT Venture Leader - Cummins, Inc. Emission Solutions Business
Todd Carrier, Head of Strategic Risk and Industry Practice - Zurich Services Corporation, Risk Engineering

Can you systematically measure the success of your risk management programs and -- more importantly -- focus on critical improvements to make them error-free? You may think of Lean Six Sigma as an investment in product quality; however the concepts also apply to transactional, administrative and risk management processes. In this session, you will learn how to apply Lean Six Sigma principles to your safety programs not only within the walls of the factory, office, or warehouse but also to employee and contractor travel -- one of the largest uncontrolled groups of on-the-job injuries.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn ways to analyze the efficiency of your safety programs and determine what is limiting them from getting better

• Understand how to apply Lean Six Sigma strategies to factory workplace safety and beyond

• Learn about Cummins' award winning fleet safety program and how you can implement a similar program

• Learn about what HSE metrics Cummins uses globally

• Hear about Cummins' journey to globalize lean six sigma and embed continuous improvement into their culture

WIKA Lean: Using All the Tools

Tuesday, April 24 - 1:45pm - 2:45pm
Speaker: Rick Reed, Director of Continuous Improvement & Quality - WIKA Instrument Corporation

Even after 10 years of lean manufacturing and more than 300 kaizen events, WIKA Instrument Corporation had never been challenged with a project where every available lean tool was required to meet the goals and objectives. That changed in May 2011. WIKA identified a complex project that could not be handled by the typical one or two tools, but actually required every tool in the tool box to deliver a successful conclusion. Added to the project complexity was the fact that the organization was under extraordinary scrutiny because of the high-level customers involved.

After 10 weeks of data collection, measuring, analyzing and improving, the results have been rewarding. This presentation covers a 10-week kaizen event as well as the resulting outcomes: almost 35% productivity improvement, 20% quality improvement, 10% uptime improvement, and significant and invaluable improvement in customer satisfaction and employee morale. Through this event, The company developed WIKA Lean.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn how WIKA achieved a 35% productivity improvement, 20% quality improvement, and 10% uptime improvement as a result of this kaizen effort.

• Discover how to choose the right lean tool for the right challenge.

• Learn the elements of WIKA Lean.

• Find out how you can adapt these lessons to your own operations.

Overcoming Organization Obstacles to Lean

Wednesday, April 25 - 8:45am - 9:45am
Speaker: Bruce Hamilton, President, GBMP

The Lean journey encounters many obstacles during its various phases, most of which can be attributed to old, often invisible organizational structures fighting a new strategy. Organization is the embodiment of the status quo, affecting virtually every business process. Many seemingly mature lean implementations have foundered for failure to recognize and remediate these organizational obstacles to Lean. From social structure to bill of material structure to department structure to data structure, Bruce's presentation offers a unique perspective of the Lean journey that exposes the obstacles in a context that enables their removal.

This presentation is geared for more mature Lean implementations and implementers that have gained significant early benefits from Lean, but are concerned with longterm growth and enculturation of Lean thinking and action.

Key Takeaways:

• Identify which self-improvement change agents you must first address to effectively lead the transformation.

• Learn how to use an equilibrium chart to understand the key pressure points for the organization.

• Discover where to look for and how to win over opinion leaders.

• Learn how to manage upwards.

• Uncover communication tips that will win converts.

The Link Between the Site Excellence Plan & Performance Management Teams

Wednesday, April 25 - 10:00am - 11:00am
Speakers: Adam Baldauf, Sr. Industrial Engineer, Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control –Lufkin Operations *2011 Best Plants Winner

During this presentation, 2011 IndustryWeek Best Plants winner Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control, Lufkin Operations, will share how it develops the goals and objectives of its annual Site Excellence Plan, as well as the role Performance Management Teams play in carrying out those goals and objectives. Learn how the annual plan is developed and broken down into projects, kaizens and “just do its.” And discover how key Lockheed Martin’s Lean Six Sigma system is to making excellence occur. Don’t miss learning how this comprehensive plan contributes to Lufkin Operations’ success.

• Learn how Lockheed Martin’s site excellence plan provides a framework for focusing on the right things.

• Discover why Performance Management Teams are integral to making the site excellence plan succeed.

• Improve your understanding of Lean Six Sigma deployed in a facility that has both assembly-line and job-shop aspects.

The Thinking Behind the Planning

Wednesday, April 25 - 11:15am - 12:15pm
Speakers: Wes Waldo, Chief Operating Officer - BMGI

A strategic plan is only as good as the thinking that goes into it. Strategic thinking happens in a number of different ways, formal and informal but fundamentally affects your ability to execute on your long term process improvement objectives. Therefore, when the plan is lacking, we need to step back and consider the thinking. Even thinking is a process. This session will show you how to conduct the first stage of the strategic planning process with a strategic process assessment.

Key Takeaways:

• How does your performance compare to that of your industry peers?

• How satisfied is your board of directors?

• How satisfied is your executive team?

• How well is strategy understood by the organization?

• A qualitative assessment of your strategy process and documentation

Increasing Flexibility through Training: How Swagelok Employs Job-Level Guide (JLG) Training to Increase Manufacturing Flexibility, Capacity

Tuesday, April 24 - 9:00am - 10:00 am
Speaker: Michael Neff, Vice President Operations, Swagelok

Swagelok Company significantly flexes its workforce to manage a no layoff philosophy during all business cycles, yet it manages in a ‘zero’ defect environment. Learn how the company practices a rigorous benchmark certification process to assure that despite dramatic movement of personnel in a highly skilled environment, certification and quality standards are never compromised.

Key Takeaways:

• Discover how Job Level Guide training can increase manufacturing flexibility, capacity
• Learn how Swagelok plans for skill flexibility in upturns and downturns
• Understand how their benchmark certification process is applied to all associates, permanent and temporary
• See how this system is easily visually auditable at all times

Beware of the Skills-Gap Trap

Tuesday, April 24 - 10:15am - 11:15am
Speaker: Bill Horwarth, President Global Services, MAG Industrial Automation Systems

When it comes to recruiting, training and retaining a skilled workforce, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Jumping into a workforce-development program too quickly can be costly, potentially wasting valuable time and financial resources.

MAG IAS LLC -- the largest U.S.-based machine-tool builder -- relies on workers skilled in electronics, software, mechanical assembly, testing and process applications to manufacture cutting-edge equipment and technologies for the durable-goods sector. To keep its pipeline stocked with skilled talent, MAG has created several nationally recognized professional-development programs that use internal and external resources.

Before you dive into creating a workforce-development program, let MAG share its experiences and best practices with you. MAG has been recognized locally in the Cincinnati area, and nationally on NBC Nightly News and at the national Education Nation Summit.

Key Takeaways:

• Workforce challenges facing manufacturing today and in the future

• Pros and cons of various workforce-development strategies

• Costs involved in creating and maintaining a workforce-development program

• Best practices to follow and pitfalls to avoid

• How to develop and implement a multi-level approach to workforce development

• Examples of internally developed programs and external partner programs

Leader Standard Work: A Key to the Sustainment Puzzle

Tuesday, April 24 - 1:45pm - 2:45pm
Speakers: Ralph Jackson, Assistant Plant Manager, Lean and Quality - Hamilton Caster & Mfg. Co.
Dave Lippert, President - Hamilton Caster & Mfg. Co.

Leader standard work helps preserve and grow a lean organization. It is what leaders and managers do on a regular basis to promote lean transformation. Any successful lean journey requires a disciplined culture, and for management, leader standard work is a key component of that culture. In this session, leaders from Hamilton Caster & Mfg. Co. will share how they use leader standard work to nurture and sustain their lean organization. Speakers also will discuss how leader standard work can make leadership transition non-threatening to the lean journey.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn what leader standard work is and is not.

• Hear how Hamilton Caster & Mfg. Co. uses leader standard work to prevent "coasting," the death knell of a lean journey.

• Get insights about how leader standard work helps sustain lean through a leadership transition.

The Overtime Lie: How Corporate Strategy is Holding Hostage Millions of Dollars in Profit

Tuesday, April 24 - 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Speaker: John Frehse, Chief Strategic Officer, Core Practice

The session takes an untraditional but factual look at the financial implications of staffing and shift scheduling practices. This case study and "real numbers" driven discussion will break down calculations of adverse costs and show all participants how to better match labor strategies to seasonal and/or variable demand fluctuations.

Key Takeaways:

• Think completely differently about overtime and be able to back up your argument with the facts.

• Everyone will learn how to accurately calculate his or her own True Labor Cost calculation.

• Participants will be able to assess the effectiveness of his or her current strategy and understand the adverse implications to staffing.

• Benchmarks for employee morale will be shared and related to typical management strategies.

Teaching Supervisors to Become Performance Coaches

Wednesday, April 25 - 8:45am - 9:45am
Speaker: Shawn Galloway, President and CEO - ProAct Safety

Managing for standardization and policy/procedure compliance does not inspire the vital discretional effort necessary for operational performance excellence. There is a vast difference in managing for compliance and coaching for performance. Supervisors influence worker behavior perhaps more than any other level in an organization. Yet most supervisors have not received formal training on coaching and effective performance feedback skills. Providing such training has proven to be a very effective measure to reduce incidents and improve quality in many organizations. For values (i.e., safety, quality, customer service) to become established in an organization, they must be reinforced by leaders at, or near the point of decision. Supervisors are in a unique position to facilitate the creation of a culture that focuses on safety excellence. Discover steps to take supervisors from cops to coaches, identify how to transfer these strategies throughout the workplace; ensuring more effective and results-oriented supervision methodologies.

Key Takeaways:

• Build motivation among leaders and employees where discretional effort is coached and recognized resulting in peer reinforcement for extra effort in performance

• Help to develop cultural uniformity across shifts and levels at site

• Identify the factors that influence workplace decisions and learn how to change them

• Help those in a leadership position understand and appreciate why workers do what they do through observation and analysis

• Differentiate between policing and coaching opportunities and decide which is appropriate

• Choose the best form of feedback to shape future actions

• Encourage superior performance by motivating employees through positive and negative feedback

The Making of 100,000+ Problem Solvers: Jabil's Lean Six Sigma Body of Knowledge

Wednesday, April 25 - 10:00am - 11:00am
Speaker: Jaime Villafuerte, Lean Six Sigma Director -- Jabil, Inc.

Education is a foundation for success at electronic solutions provider Jabil. Jabil's mission is to develop a capable workforce of exceptional people focused on continuous process improvement. At the heart of this development cycle is the Jabil Lean Six Sigma Body of Knowledge, which focuses on lean awareness and problem solving. Certified employees become coaches and mentors to those learning to apply their classroom knowledge in a project-based learning environment.

This session discusses Jabil's successes in instilling a Lean Six Sigma culture through a comprehensive education and development program, combined with executive management support. It also shares valuable lessons learned from an earlier, unsuccessful attempt to implement lean.

Key Takeaways:

• Gain insights on deploying Lean Six Sigma across a large organization.

• Learn details of Jabil's three knowledge levels -- bronze, silver and gold -- and how certification in these levels assures the work force is truly grasping lean concepts in practical ways.

• Hear about the importance of mentoring and coaching, and support from all levels of the organization.

Sustaining Lean Material Systems: Beyond the Traditional Tools

Tuesday, April 24 - 9:00am - 10:00am
Speakers: Jessyca Gajewski, Value Stream Manager - Greatbatch Medical
Mary Beth Harper, Purchasing Manager - Greatbatch Medical

Have you ever tried to launch a pull system and failed? Greatbatch Medical has. And they found that a change of approach was necessary to include all the elements of the supply chain -- incorporating a disciplined supplier development methodology integrated with a standardized sales and operations planning process. This closed-loop approach, which includes a cross-functional supplier management team, ensures that direct material suppliers are right for the business, and continuous improvement tools and resources are deployed to suppliers needing it. Highlights of this system include comprehensive audits, risk assessments, detailed advanced product quality planning systems, key supplier performance report cards, and a specific escalation system addressing poor-performing suppliers. Another element, a disciplined sales and operations planning process ensures that customer demand is satisfied and the overall business plan is aligned with the production plan.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn the essentials needed to create and sustain a successful lean material system beyond the traditional lean tools.

• Understand methods for linking customer needs efficiently to the operations plan and the supply base.

• Discover approaches for ensuring supply chain visibility.

Lean and Low Cost: Applying Technology to Streamline Your Distribution System

Tuesday, April 24 - 10:15am - 11:15am
Speaker: Joe Rodibaugh, Corporate Logistics Manager - Klein Steel*2011 IW Best Plant Winner

Learn how Klein Steel Service Inc., a regional processor and distributor of metals, made improvements in its distribution system that translate to improved on-time delivery, cost avoidance and better utilization of resources. Klein Steel used lean-based improvement projects that incorporate existing, low-cost technology to streamline processes from order entry to customer delivery. The previous distribution process utilized 11 people and 17 steps; the new automated process requires seven people and eight steps, allowing team members to perform other work. A four-page work order that was copied and handled multiple times has been reduced to a single page, printed once. The presentation also will highlight the next steps on the company's path to continued success.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn concrete steps to reduce the amount of paper in your distribution system.

• Find out how to eliminate duplicate or manual entry of information.

• Discover methods to incorporate computers and information technology to improve your current logistics system.

• See how to gain team-member buy in and get contributions and ideas to make your system better.

Pull-System Replenishment and other Lean Tools: Make Them Work for You

Tuesday, April 24 - 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Speaker: Scott Adams, Director of Operations, Victaulic

Manufacturer Victaulic recognized that it had a problem. While the manufacturer of mechanical pipe joining systems had global distribution centers stocked with 92% (by volume) of its products, on-time delivery to customers was as low as 64%. The solution: Victaulic implemented a pull-system replenishment method that shortened cycle times, did not rely of forecasts and increased on-time delivery of stocked items to 97%.

The company's continuous-improvement efforts did not stop there. By implementing additional lean tools such as set-up reduction, Total Productive Maintenance and work-place reorganization, Victaulic's employees were able to reduce lead times significantly (in some instances up to 75%), improve inventory turns and increase customer satisfaction. Attend this session to learn how Victaulic achieved its improvements and the importance of employee involvement to its successes.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn about the benefits and challenges of implementing a pull-system replenishment method.

• Find out how introducing lean processes can reduce costs without being costly to implement.

• Discover how Victualic's approach to fostering continuous improvement can work for you.

Process Improvement for Supplier Management

Wednesday, April 25 - 8:45am - 9:45am
Speaker: TBA

Description Coming soon...

Taking Continuous Improvement to the Supply Base

Wednesday, April 25 - 10:00am - 11:00am
Speaker: Mark Goodman, Plant Manager, United Technologies, Carrier - Charlotte Chiller Operations and Houston Repair Center*2010 IW Best Plant Winner

Open, honest and sometimes brutal communication of supplier expectations is critical.

True supply chain partners embrace high expectations for perfect quality and reliability in a lowest-total-cost environment. Educating suppliers often requires a "boots on the ground" approach whereby the parties from both stakeholders jointly and transparently seek to determine root cause for a failure mode or variation (cost). This approach collectively utilizes the skill sets of the team to attack the cause of the variation and eliminate it through hard-wired permanent corrective actions. This is often times accompanied by value stream mapping events at a supplier location of specific processes. Often times in addition to addressing the root cause of variation, opportunities for further variation reduction and deriving value can be attained by redesigning a process or part of a product design. Result: greater value at a lower total cost.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn how to move from calibration to collaboration with partner suppliers

• Discover ways for eliminating variation in the supply chain, thereby creating the opportunity to schedule, execute and deliver highly capable and reliable products at the lowest total cost

• Learn about the "speed formula" -- supplier reliability + process capability + people

• Uncover the "boots on the ground" approach to problem suppliers

• Identify supply chain tactics that will bring maximum value at the lowest total cost

Cellular Flow Manufacturing Workshop

Monday, April 23 - 7:30 am - 11:30 am
Instructor: Ed Hlava, Advanced Manufacturing Specialist, Purdue University Technical Assistance Program

Purdue University TAP-MEP will help you discover how to link and balance operations to reduce lead times, minimize WIP, optimize floor space usage and improve productivity using a five-step process for designing and implementing work cells. When processes are balanced, the product flows continuously and customer demands are easily met. Cellular Flow Manufacturing is the linking of manual and machine operations into the most efficient combination of resources to maximize value-added content while minimizing waste. The most efficient combination applies the concept of process balancing. Only in a balanced process will the product continually flow. As a result, parts movement is minimized, wait time between operations is reduced, inventory is reduced, and productivity increases.

Benefits:

• Earn 0.4 CEUs (Continuing Education Units) or 4 PDH (Professional Development Hours).

• Maximize value added by each worker

• Minimize part movement and inventory

• Reduce lead times, cycle times, and waiting times

• Increase productivity and quality performance

• Free floor space

• Improve efficiency of cross-training workers

• Increase communication

• Increase flexibility

Create an Uncompromising, Sustainable Safety System

Monday, April 23 - 7:30 am - 11:30 am
Instructors: Chris Glover, Director - Milliken Performance System, Milliken & Co.
Phil McIntyre, Director Business Development and Marketing - Milliken Performance Solutions, Milliken & Co.
Jeff Rosenlund, Director Business Development - Milliken Performance Solutions, Milliken & Co.

As one of the safest companies in North America, Milliken & Company, a 146 year old chemical and textile company based in South Carolina, has been internationally recognized for its achievements in safety, operational excellence and innovation. Safety is the #1 core value at Milliken & Company and the company has the privilege of operating 28 OSHA-certified Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) STAR manufacturing sites.

As several recent high-profile incidents have demonstrated, it is imperative that corporations embrace safety as the uncompromising goal of the organization. Anything less than 100% participation of all employees could lead to a risk exposure that might be financially impactful.

The Milliken Safety Way™ is a proven and transferable system that engages all employees within the organization. With zero incidents as the driving goal, this proprietary system has been developed through a decade of benchmarking practices and processes and has helped Milliken & Company become a one of the safest privately held companies. The Milliken Safety Way™ leads to breakthroughs in employee safety, motivation, morale, and cost reduction. Milliken's global Total Injury and Incident Rate (TIIR) was an impressive 0.71 in 2010 during a period in which US manufacturers averaged a TIIR six times that of Milliken at 4.4.

Milliken's unique approach to safety can help any organization create a unique state of safety configuration. Each company must have its own culture and systems to ensure employee safety. This requires a level of leadership within the organization that must exist throughout different levels -- from the executive offices to the place where work is performed. This cultural transformation goes beyond the level of safety education. Everyone within the organization must be able to understand the vision and take an active role in driving the process as well as the safety message.

The Milliken Safety Way™ is an employee-centric approach to improving safety that is designed to build an organic, internal capability that is permanently infused into the organization. Milliken has been recognized repeatedly by organizations such as EHS Today magazine as one of the safest companies in the US. Milliken is the only American company that has won a top manufacturing award in both the United States and Japan -- the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in the U.S. and the TPM Excellence Award sponsored by the Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance. In addition, Milliken has been named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere magazine for 5 years in a row.

Through numerous real-world Milliken situations, you will be able to understand the fundamental beliefs and strategies behind a successful world-class safety operation.

Using the Milliken Safety Way as a benchmark, you will learn:

• About the role and responsibilities of leadership in the safety process and some ways to obtain that commitment

• How to create a team charter and the importance of reviewing that with on-site management

• How to create, train, and educate sub-committees based on your particular environment and needs

• What is meant by a safety "system" and employee involvement: the behavior, the training, the synergy and consensus that is needed

• The importance of safety in the decision making process

• Some of the steps to sustain this system and how to keep driving continuous improvement

Six Sigma White Belt Workshop

Monday, April 23 - 1:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Instructor: Ed Hlava, Advanced Manufacturing Specialist, Purdue University Technical Assistance Program

Purdue University TAP-MEP's Six-Sigma White Belt workshop prepares you to be well-grounded in an awareness of successful Six Sigma deployment. Six Sigma is a statistical measure, business philosophy and a problem solving methodology (DMAIC: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control). As a Six Sigma White Belt, you will be a better participant and/or supporter of your company's Six Sigma projects, understand the vision of Six Sigma deployment and the impact on the customer.

At the completion of this training program, you will:

• Earn 0.4 CEUs (Continuing Education Units) or 4 PDH (Professional Development Hours).

• Understand and define the quality philosophy of Six Sigma and DMAIC

• Identify benefits and objectives of Six Sigma

• Be able to outline the Six Sigma implementation process

• Identify the DMAIC process

• Define the costs of poor quality (COPQ)

• Define the applications of statistical techniques to solve business-related problems

• Understand the process of selecting Six Sigma projects

Training Within Industry (TWI) Workshop

Monday, April 23 - 1:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Instructor: Paul Johnson, Advanced Manufacturing Specialist, Purdue University Technical Assistance Program

Developed in the U.S. during WWII to train replacements of an industrial workforce who were off fighting a war, Training Within Industry (TWI) provided rapid and consistent training and is recognized as part of what helped the Allied forces secure victory. TWI was an unqualified success... but became a faded memory in the U.S. after the war.

But thankfully TWI experienced a comeback, and has become a critical connection with lean! In The Toyota Way, Jeffrey Liker references "going to the source", "observing detail" and "learning by doing." These are all influenced by TWI, and became the backbone of Toyota's standardized philosophy. Standardized work = a cooperative effort between the foreman and the worker. And in support of the supervisor, TWI is the training choice for "strict adherence to standardized operations for new employee training." Earn 0.4 CEUs (Continuing Education Units) or 4 PDH (Professional Development Hours).

TWI training consists of four standardized modules:

1. Job Relations Training (JR): builds positive employee relations, increases cooperation and motivation, and how to effectively resolve conflicts.

2. Job Instruction Training (JI): quickly training employees to do a job correctly, safely, and conscientiously.

3. Job Methods Training (JM): improving the way jobs are done for continual improvement

   Job Safety Training (JS): creating a safe workplace

And the bottom-line benefits? Production people accept responsibility for their work, participate in the improvement process, learn how to interact as part of a team, and increase their level of job satisfaction.

Training Within Industry -- critical to sustaining "lean" AND maintaining Continuous Improvement momentum. And luckily, it's never too late to incorporate this valuable tool into your program!