Manufacturers To Discuss Lean Operations And Employee Involvement At Smeal

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA (February 21, 2007) – Manufacturing executives from four of the most successful operations in the United States will gather in April at Penn State to discuss their experiences introducing change in their plant processes.

The 61st meeting of the Advanced Manufacturing Forum, hosted by the Center for the Management of Technological and Organizational Change (CMTOC) at Penn State's Smeal College of Business, will convene April 12 to 13 at Toftrees Resort and Conference Center in State College, Pa.

Representatives from Batesville Casket Co., Lauren Manufacturing, Rieter Automotive North America-Carpet, and Square D-Schneider Electric will share insights from their own experiences managing recent changes and technological innovations in their manufacturing processes.

The meeting begins April 12 with a dinner reception and continues the next morning and afternoon with the four presenters, each of whom has extensive experience in implementing lean practices that focus on product design, manufacturing, supply chain, and the back office.

The seminars will be followed by morning and afternoon break-out sessions to discuss each topic in greater depth.

The presenters and topics:

Doug Kunkel, vice president of operations, Batesville Casket Co.
Kunkel will offer insight into Batesville's supply chain, manufacturing and distribution practices, and its just-in-time demand pull system. He will discuss management strategies and tools around Batesville's use of the Hillenbrand Business System, modeled around the Toyota Production System and related principles. Batesville is a subsidiary of Hillenbrand Industries.

Lisa Huntsman, vice president of operations, Lauren Manufacturing Co.
Huntsman will describe Lauren's transformation from a traditional manufacturing company facing tough international competition to a Lean organization that continues to grow as other manufacturers exit the market. She will focus on Lauren's awareness training for its 225-strong union workforce, its benchmarking studies performed against successful Lean companies, and its plant reorganization strategies.

Mel Stojakovich, continuous improvement manager, Rieter Automotive North America-Carpet
Stojakovich will focus on an element of the Lean toolbox that sets Rieter Automotive apart from other manufacturing plants: its successful employee involvement and its culture change.

Robin Singleton, plant manager, and Kristen Workman, manufacturing engineering manager, Square D-Schneider Electric
Singleton and Workman will share Square D's Lean philosophy, focusing on the plant's execution of 5S and how improvements have strengthened its union-management relationship.

For more details and registration information, visit www.smeal.psu.edu/cmtoc/forum/forum61.html.

About CMTOC
The Center for the Management of Technological and Organizational Change strives to help organizations efficiently implement innovations that improve their business practices without greatly disrupting them. As part of that mission, the Advanced Manufacturing Forum exists to provide managers with a setting that encourages them to share experiences and ideas about advanced manufacturing technology and practices.

For more on CMTOC, visit www.smeal.psu.edu/cmtoc.