Monday, October 18

8:00 am - 9:15 am
Lean On Your Information Technology Capabilities

David Haught, CFPIM
Production and Inventory Planning Manager 
Rea Magnet Wire

Ron Mihavics, CIRM
Applications Manager
Rea Magnet Wire

Supply chain managers are faced with accomplishing more with fewer resources. These professionals must drive improvements in service and cost, while reducing working capital and head counts. This session will illustrate how to develop improved information technology (IT) processes and capabilities to support these lean directives. The presenters will share a case study on how Rea Magnet Wire gained significant improvements in order fulfillment while reducing inventory and manpower.

Attend this session to

• Streamline your organization’s IT request processes
• Identify transaction and data sets that lend themselves to automation
• Gain practical IT knowledge necessary to deliver lean supply chain solutions

APICS 2010 is about applying best practices. This session will feature

• A real-life case study on how IT flexibility is key to improved processes
• Strategic use of IT capabilities to drive lean principles
• Proven techniques for enhanced order fulfillment, working capital reduction, and cost management

1:00 pm - 2:15 pm
Lean Execution Lessons Learned

Manuel Parente, CPIM, CSCP
Consulting Engineer
IBM Corporation

Satyadeep Vajjala
Senior Engineer
IBM Corporation

Ulrich Schimpel
Senior Scientist
IBM Corporation

An essential part of lean manufacturing involves optimizing customer service with minimum inventory investment. This presentation will describe a series of case studies from a unique pilot implemented at IBM Microelectronics, which aimed to align traditional, multiple-echelon planning and scheduling with manufacturing execution in a lean environment. The presenters will share significant lessons learned from this pilot.

Attend this session to

• Align your enterprise resources planning and material requirements planning with lean practices
• Discover the sources and propagating factors of demand variability in an extended value stream
• Optimize service levels with minimum inventory investment and cost

APICS 2010 is about applying best practices. This session will feature

• A proven method for improving supply and demand planning in an extended supply chain network
• Examples of successful kanban, pull-and-replenish sequencing, and flow loops
• Effective ways to address demand and supply variability

 

2:30 pm - 3:45 pm
A Journey to Sustainable Continuous Improvement      

Soli Engineer, CPIM
President
SJE Consultants & Associates         

Michael Bowman
President
Hunt & Hunt Ltd.

Hunt & Hunt Manufacturing is a machine shop specializing in multi-axis machining, laser cutting, and high-volume production of perforating guns for the oil industry. In 2007, the company president began a journey to continuous improvement. This presentation will reveal the results of his plan and explore the most significant areas addressed along the way—including adjusting employee mind-sets, setup reduction, eliminating paper on the shop floor, reduced work-in-process inventory, and much more.

Attend this session to

• Address reluctance to change at all levels of the organization
• Effectively manage uncertainties in business
• Improve productivity, quality, and flexibility in your company
   

APICS 2010 is about applying best practices. This session will feature

• Demonstrated techniques for responding to rapidly changing customer requirements
• Real-world product and process improvement plans
• Examples of successful lean and continuous-improvement initiatives

4:00 pm - 5:15 pm
Lean Six Sigma in the Service Sector      

Jack Cook, Ph.D., CFPIM, CSCP
Associate Professor
Rochester Institute of Technology

Health care, as with any service operation, requires systematic process innovation in order to remain competitive, cost efficient, and in compliance with state and federal regulations. This session outlines how to deploy lean six sigma to create an effective framework for producing health care advancements. Cost savings, higher quality levels, and better patient care are just some of the benefits to be realized.

Attend this session to

• Create a lean six sigma deployment plan applicable to service companies
• Identify roadblocks associated with lean six sigma
• Structure process improvement projects, even within companies that have little or no history of formal improvement programs

APICS 2010 is about applying best practices. This session will feature

• Real-life examples of effective administrative, logistical, and operational health care delivery
• Proven methods for improving patient satisfaction, supply management, and billing
• Constructive templates based on more than 50 lean six sigma projects

 

Tuesday, October 19

8:00 am - 9:15 am
Motivating Your People for the Long Journey to Lean

Kevin Jonas
Program Manager
Training Modernization Group, Inc. (TMG)     

Joseph C. Barto III
Founder and President
Training Modernization Group, Inc. (TMG)

Ball Metal Food Container Operations, a provider of packaging solutions, recently experienced a significant decline in production, decreased employee engagement, inconsistent leader performance, and high turnover due to an aging workforce. Becoming leaner was the ultimate solution, but the workforce wasn’t ready. This session highlights what was done to help employees see lean as more than a passing fad and commit to a successful transformation.

Attend this session to

• Share best practices in lean implementation
• Engage employees in maximizing plant performance
• Transform your leader-performance program

APICS 2010 is about applying best practices. This session will feature

• Proven techniques for identifying the future generation of organization leaders via a qualification program
• Examples of lean events that can become effective team-engagement tools
• An innovative approach to designing, developing, piloting, and rolling out a system that revolutionizes company culture

1:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Reaping Lean Rewards

Janet Steiner, CPIM, CSCP
President
Red Fox Farms Inc.

John Pennington
President
PCI Associates

The fictional company Special Spuds has two core work centers facing a number of issues that impede the company’s on-time delivery goal. This workshop will give attendees the opportunity to perform a mini-kaizen event, through which they will review Special Spuds’ challenges and prioritize what needs to be done. Participants will present their findings and work at least one issue to completion. Active participation will be limited to 18 people, with the audience acting as management.

Attend this session to

• Share core lean concepts and apply them in a hands-on workshop
• Learn how to stabilize processes and standardize work
• Explore how to effectively run a kaizen event and measure success

APICS 2010 is about applying best practices. This session will feature

• Key steps to performing a successful kaizen event
• Using value stream mapping to help identify waste
• Opportunities to actively employ proven lean tools to streamline processes

           
3:45 pm - 5:00 pm
Building Up Lean in Construction

Jeff Lukowski, CSCP
Operations and Supply Chain Consultant
FMI Corporation

Construction is one of the last frontiers open to productivity improvement. The industry is known for supplier fragmentation and resistance to adopting new tools and innovations. This session will explore the best way to implement lean principles throughout the design and delivery processes. Participants will identify opportunities for improvement and advancement of bottom-line performance through an in-depth case study in the mechanical piping industry.

Attend this session to

• Discover a framework for assessing the supplier hierarchy, work product interdependencies and critical decisions in the build value chain
• Better understand progress, opportunities and challenges in applying Lean thinking to the build environment
• Learn how short- and long-term planning efforts can improve demand forecasting

APICS 2010 is about applying best practices. This session will feature

• Forecasting techniques for a multi-tiered design-to-order environment
• Demonstrated methods of successful value chain and process mapping
• Best-in-class methods for selecting suppliers

 

Wednesday October 20

10:30 am - 11:45 am
Lean in Health Care Through A3 Problem Solving

John Pennington
President
PCI Associates

Floyd C. Pennington, Ph.D.
Owner
CTL Associates Inc.

At its foundation, the Toyota Production System’s A3 problem-solving process uses traditional lean tools such as value stream mapping, the five Ss, and root cause analysis. The A3 method offers a standardized, repeatable approach to solving problems. This presentation will introduce and expand participants’ knowledge of A3 problem solving and illustrate how it can be used in the health care field.

Attend this session to

• Expand your knowledge of A3 problem solving
• Apply lean tools to your work environment and the health care industry
• Achieve level scheduling, synchronous assembly flow, and better workforce development

APICS 2010 is about applying best practices. This session will feature

• Successful continuous improvement methodologies and techniques
• A standard format for problem solving, proposals, plans, and status reviews
• Proven ways to advance health care practices through significant performance improvement, fewer errors, and reduced waste

           
1:30 pm - 2:45 pm
Changing People, Processes, and Paradigms

Stephen Shiffer
Project Manager
Volvo Powertrain North America 

Chad Butts
Operations Manager 
Volvo Powertrain North America 

After implementing lean material flows and eliminating fork trucks in the engine assembly area, company leaders at Volvo Powertrain North America immediately experienced a new set of problems. Most notably, by eliminating buffers, process irregularities were exposed. This session will explain how they addressed their process variation issues and fine-tuned lean processes. The presenters will share some of the challenge they encountered in creating, then improving lean material flows in the heavy-duty truck manufacturing industry. 

Attend this session to

• Learn how to promote holistic solutions among all functional areas
• Achieve level scheduling, synchronous assembly flow, and better workforce development
• Break down barriers and replace them with effective lean processes

APICS 2010 is about applying best practices. This session will feature

• A case study with real-world insights into lean material flows
• Proven workforce-development, training, and employee-discipline techniques
• Examples of level assembly scheduling

Wednesday, October 20

3:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Lean Is Green

Dave Turbide CFPIM, CIRM, CSCP, CMfgE
Analyst, consultant, and writer
Production Solutions

Can’t get excited about green and sustainability? Not sure about global warming? No matter. If you know and love lean, you can jump on the green and sustainability bandwagons and proudly proclaim your green achievements—because lean is green. This session will detail exactly how your lean efforts contribute to sustainability and show you out how to leverage your lean achievements for the good of the planet, your own peace of mind, and your company’s public image.

Attend this session to

• Learn how lean contributes to sustainability
• Better comprehend the waste hierarchy and how it applies to lean
• Evaluate your carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions

 

APICS 2010 is about applying best practices. This session will feature

• Specific examples of waste reduction in conjunction with lean achievements
• Real-world energy conservation plans and ideas
• Training on how to document your sustainability achievements