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Sixty-Third Meeting of the Advanced Manufacturing Forum

Details on Forum 63, including presenters, location, schedule, and, post-event, presentation highlights

Sixty-Third Meeting of the Advanced Manufacturing Forum

The Journey to Lean Continues

April 10-11, 2008
The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel

The Advanced Manufacturing Forum is now in its twenty-sixth year, and this forum promises an exceptional program in a unique setting that allows for intensive discussion and idea exchange among managers who are introducing technological and organizational change.

Presentations will be made by Black & Decker Corporation, Medrad, Inc., Weir Minerals, and Xerox Corporation.

The forum begins on Thursday evening, with a networking reception, brief orientation, and dinner at The Penn Stater Conference Center and Hotel. Friday is a full day of presentations and breakout sessions.

Presentations

Xerox Corporation
Webster, New York
Daniel Banaszak
Plant Manager for Monochrome Products

Delayed Configuration:
A Hybrid Manufacturing Strategy

Xerox Corporation is a pioneer in remanufacturing technologies and practices and has successfully incorporated sustainability as a core part of its business culture. Banaszak will explore two manufacturing philosophies – delayed differentiation and operations reversal – that can be utilized within a company’s supply chain to help address issues associated with product availability, production throughput, and cycle time. Together, these practices form a hybrid manufacturing strategy known as “delayed configuration” that employs the use of a progressive assembly process coupled with cellular manufacturing. It is an effective assembly alternative that can be leveraged and utilized for an existing and established manufacturing product line.

Weir Minerals North America
Hazleton, Pennsylvania
Bruce Jones
Managing Director

Lean Principles:
The Savior of American Manufacturing

Bruce Jones arrived at Weir Hazleton in 2003 faced with the mandate to either “fix” an ailing manufacturing facility or to bring its slow, painful decline to an end. Weir’s engineered-to-order slurry pumps were still a superior product and in demand; the only way to save the company was to change the basic structure of the organization into a 21st century manufacturing operation with the agility to adjust to market demands and ever-changing customer needs. In just four years the organization that was on the verge of closure increased its sales and produced record profits. Jones will connect the academic discussion of a popular business application to Weir’s real world example of what properly executed Lean Principles can do when applied to every phase of an operation.

MEDRAD, Inc.
Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania
Mike Kochis, Plant Manager, Heilman Center Manufacturing Facility
Doug Wilson, Engineering Manager

MedFlow:
Lean Applications in a Low-Volume/High-Mix Environment

MEDRAD, a 2007 IndustryWeek Best Plants Winner, manufactures electronic fluid delivery systems that enhance cardiovascular, computerized tomography and magnetic resonance (MR) diagnostic scanning and MR coils and accessories used in medical imaging. In 2002, the company consolidated these manufacturing processes into one location, the Heilman Manufacturing Center, and embarked on MedFlow, their lean plant initiative. MedFlow continues to reap productivity gains in what is a very complex manufacturing environment. Plant Manager Mike Kochis will share the best practices of  MEDRAD’s modern approach to manufacturing, an approach that stresses flexibility, cross-training, and mobility for both the plant’s workforce and its infrastructure.

Black & Decker Corporation
Towson, Maryland
Ron Walters
Director, NA Supply Planning

Driving “End to End” Lean Solutions in a Complex Value Chain

Driving successful lean initiatives goes beyond 4-wall manufacturing techniques and continuous improvement models. Companies must embark on cross-functional, end-to-end collaboration, analysis and execution to achieve true results in cycle time and inventory reduction. The challenge of today’s businesses is to development a suitable Continuous Improvement and Lean model that meets the needs of the customer, internal business objectives and the organizational culture.  Ron Walters will present some aspects of the Black & Decker Lean and Six Sigma models and how it drives end-to-end lean solutions to improve cash flow for the business.

Forum Format and Session Descriptions

 Thursday, April 10, 2008
Time Event
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Reception
7:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Orientation
7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Dinner
 Friday, April 11, 2008
Time Event
7:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast
8:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. Xerox Corporation
9:15 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Break
9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Weir Minerals North America
10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Breakout Sessions
11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. MEDRAD, Inc.
2:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Break
2:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. Black & Decker Corporation
3:45 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. Breakout Sessions
4:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Wrap-up

Attire

Thursday reception and dinner require formal business attire.

Friday is business casual attire (company shirts are encouraged).

Registration Information

The registration fee is $395.

The REGISTRATION FORM (.pdf 25Kb) *Acrobat provides several methods for submission (credit card, regular mail, or fax - see the form for details).

Participants will receive their choice of one book as part of their registration fee. See the selection of titles on the registration form.

To assure your reservation, register by April 3, 2008.

Cancellations with a full refund will be accepted up to and including April 3, 2008. Cancellations less a $100 administrative fee will be accepted on and after April 4, 2008.

Hotel Reservations

A block of rooms has been reserved for AMF attendees at The Penn Stater.

Call 1-814-234-8000 ($99.00, single occupancy). Please refer to the Advanced Manufacturing Forum's reservation code [ADV0410] when making your reservation. Our block of rooms will be held until one month prior to the forum.

Other nearby hotels (all within 1-2 miles of our conference location):

Questions

Please contact Barbara Kinne, 814-865-6727 or bbk1@psu.edu.

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