8 Workshops Set for Midwest Regional Training on Lean Manufacturing

BROOKLINE, Mass., Aug. 4, 2005 -- A new workshop on lean logistics is among eight workshops being presented Sept. 13-15 in Kansas City, MO by the nonprofit Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI) as part of its Midwest regional training on lean production.

Workshops run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Westin Crown Center, One Pershing Rd., Kansas City, MO. LEI runs workshops in a different region every month on how to implement the principles of lean manufacturing. The workshops are:

  -- Value-Stream Mapping, Sept. 13: Learn a fundamental initial step that
     creates the blueprint for applying other lean tools and running kaizen
     events most effectively.
  -- NEW! Lean Logistics: Inbound, Sept. 13: Understand where and how to
     apply lean concepts to inbound logistics, how to analyze costs and
     balance them among logistics functions, and how to truly eliminate
     unnecessary inventories rather than shifting them to other areas of
     the value stream.
  -- Creating Continuous Flow, Sept. 14: Get the complete benefits of
     cellular production by focusing on the critical pacemaker process, the
     people factors of the operation, and how to balance the work to takt
     time.
  -- Achieving Basic Stability, Sept. 14: Understand how to identify
     critical equiipment instability issues, such as availability, speed,
     flexibility, and quality as you advance from breakdown to preventive
     maintenance.
  -- Train the Trainer in Value-Stream Mapping, Sept. 14: Get the knowledge
     and training materials for running your own value-stream mapping
     workshops.
  -- Making Materials Flow, Sept. 15: Sustain continuous flow cells and
     lines with a dependable just-in-time material-handling system for
     purchased parts that uses timed delivery routes, pull signals, and a
     Plan for Every Part database.
  -- Creating Level Pull, Sept 15: This introduction to the basics of
     leveling and pull gives you the essential information you need to
     design and implement a basic end-to-end pull system with kanban and a
     leveled schedule at the pacemaker process.
  -- Business Process Value-Stream Mapping, Sept. 15: Learn how to apply
     value-stream mapping, a fundamental lean tool, to administrative,
     professional, and transactional activities.

For complete content descriptions and to register, go to the Training page of the LEI web site at: http://www.lean.org/Events/ or call (617) 713-2900. Space is limited.

Three workshops are based on books that received Shingo Research Prizes from the College of Business at Utah State University. Creating Level Pull and Making Materials Flow received prizes in 2005. Creating Continuous Flow received the prize in 2003.

Lean manufacturing cuts costs and inventories rapidly to free cash and resources, which is critical in a competitive world economy. Lean supports profitable growth by improving productivity and quality, reducing lead times, and freeing resources. For example, it frees office and plant space and increases capacity so companies can add product lines, in-source component production, and increase output of existing products. Companies implementing lean can take advantage of economic growth by increasing sales while controlling costs.

The Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit training, publishing, and research center founded by James P. Womack PhD in August 1997 to give people simple but powerful tools that enable them to apply a set of ideas known as lean production and lean thinking, based initially on the Toyota Production System. For more information visit the LEI News page at http://www.lean.org/WhoWeAre/LEINews.cfm.