EASTEC 2004 Conference Opens With Toyota Management Keynotes - 'The Challenges of Implementing the Toyota Production System'

DEARBORN, Mich., April 8 -- The EASTEC 2004 Exposition opens with an exciting conference featuring keynote presentations by Toyota manufacturing executives, Dan Robbins, vice president, Manufacturing, Canadian Autoparts Toyota Inc. (CAPTIN) and Hajime Oba, president, TSSC, Inc., on Tuesday, May 25, 2004 at the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place, Springfield, Mass. The EASTEC 2004, Advanced Productivity Exposition (APEX), is the East Coast's largest annual manufacturing event and runs May 25, 2004-27, 2004 at the Eastern States Exposition Grounds in West Springfield, Mass.

Dan Robbins leads CAPTIN's manufacturing team in supplying aluminum alloy wheels to all North American Toyota facilities. His role is to apply the Toyota Production System in every aspect of CAPTIN's operations on a daily basis. Hajime Oba leads TSSC, Inc. in efforts to assist North American operations in pursuing improvements to their operations using the principles of the Toyota Production System (TPS).

Conference Program:

The EASTEC 2004 technical conference program, developed by SME and its industry partners and SME members, will deliver a lineup of industry experts and experienced end-users who will cover leading technologies and smart business strategies. The conference program will highlight the technologies represented in EASTEC's Plastics Processing & Advanced Materials and Lean Manufacturing Pavilions. All sessions take place at the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place. Free shuttle service to and from the Eastern States Exposition Grounds will be available.

HIGHLIGHTED EVENTS

* Workshop: How to Utilize Standardized Work in Order to Improve and Maintain the Shop Floor

  Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
  This event will be managed by Toyota Support Center TSSC, Kentucky.

For more information, or to register for this workshop; contact the Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership at 617-287-7737, or visit, www.gbmp.org . Attendance is limited. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m.

  *  Northeast Manufacturing Summit & Networking Reception
  Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - 2:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

A panel of state government representatives and local manufacturers will address issues of concern for area manufacturing companies and what state government is doing to help the plastics and metalworking industries survive.

* Free Job Shop Strategies Session:

Successful Marketing for Job Shops - Internet, Tradeshows & Magazines presented by Rob Edwards, The Job Shop Companies

  Thursday, May 27 - 9:30 a.m. - 11 a.m.
  Eastern States Exposition Grounds - The Carriage House

  FEATURED CONFERENCE SESSIONS:

  PLASTICS
  Hybrid Materials Using Plastics Processing Technology
  Tuesday - May 25, 2004 - 8:30 a.m. - noon

  Advances in Plastics Processing and Technology
  Tuesday, May 25, 2004, 1:30 - 5 p.m.

  Machining & Fabricating of Plastics
  Wednesday, May 26, 2004, 8:30 a.m. - 2:15 p.m.

  LEAN MANUFACTURING
  Lean Manufacturing Sessions (7)
  Tuesday, May 25, 2004 - 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

  Lean Manufacturing Sessions (4)
  Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - 8:30 - 2 p.m.

  Applying Lean Strategies to Compete in a Global Economy
  Thursday - May 27, 2004 - 8:30 a.m. - 10 a.m.

  The Human Side of Lean: A Panel Discussion
  Thursday, May 27, 2004 - 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.

Lean Six Sigma: Implementing Lean with Six Sigma for Breakthrough Improvements

  Thursday, May 27, 10:30 a.m. - 1 p. m.

  Utilizing the Global Supply Chain as Your Competitive Weapon
  Thursday, May 27, 10:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

  TRANSFORMATION!  NEXT STOP - EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

  Panel Discussion:

Taking Advantage of Onshore Opportunities in Life Sciences, Medical Devices, Homeland Security, & More

Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - 8:30 a.m. - 2:15 p.m.

FDA & US Pharmacopeia (USP) How They Can Improve Your Onshore Business

  Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - 10:45 a.m. - noon

  How to be cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practices) Accredited

The Tool Required to Get Your Company Into Medical/Pharmaceutical/Food Manufacturing

  Wednesday, May 25, 2004 - 1 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.

  New!  MicroManufacturing Conference & Exposition
  Wednesday, May 26-27, 2004 - 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
  Springfield Marriott, Springfield, Mass.

The new MicroManufacturing Conference & Exposition, co-located with EASTEC 2004, is scheduled for May 26-27, 2004, at the Springfield Marriott, Springfield, Mass.

The conference will be held on Wednesday, May 26, from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., followed by a reception from 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m., and on Thursday, May 27, from 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m., including a plant tour of Leipold Precision Components. Visit www.sme.org/micro for Micromachining conference information and to register. Endorsing partner: Small Times magazine.

Sponsors:

EASTEC 2004 is co-sponsored by SME, The American Machine Tool Distributors Association (AMTDA), www.amtda.org , and The American Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT), www.AMTonline.org

The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), American Plastics Council (APC), and the Materials & Manufacturing Technology Network joined SME and its Engineering Materials Applications Community to bring the Plastics Processing & Advanced Materials Conference and Pavilion at EASTEC. Supported by Nypro, Inc.

The Lean Manufacturing & Business Strategies Conference is co-sponsored by Manufacturing Engineering magazine and the Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership (GBMP).

Additional Information:

For more information about EASTEC 2004 conference and exposition events, visit EASTEC Web site at www.sme.org/eastec , for the conference at www.sme.org/eastecconference , or call the SME Resource Center at 800-733- 4763, or (outside the U.S. and Canada) at 313-425-4500, 8 a. m. - 5 p.m., Monday- Friday, Eastern Time; or Fax to 313-425-3401.