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Many of you have contacted me over the past year looking for information on lean manufacturing and for tips on how to get started in utilizing some of the tools in the lean toolbox.

You definitely are not alone. A recent report by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers shows a sizeable percentage of manufacturing companies are seeking help in this area.

With those needs in mind, I am proud to announce that MRO Today is teaming with the University of Wisconsin to present “Lean Manufacturing University,” a two-day conference taking place Nov. 10-11 (that’s a Monday and Tuesday) on the UW campus in Madison, Wis.

“Lean Manufacturing University” — which comes on the heels of last fall’s sold-out “MRO Today presents: The Disney Keys to Excellence in Manufacturing” — will bring more than 150 plant-floor leaders (people like you) to the fabulous Fluno Center to learn how companies like yours are utilizing lean and/or various tools from the lean toolbox. These tools include Six Sigma, kaizen and 5-S, agile, Total Productive Maintenance/Manufacturing (TPM), Continuous Improvement, the Toyota Production System, cellular manufacturing, single minute exchange of dies (SMED), kanban and others.

This truly will be a world-class conference with information presented by the people who are making change happen on the plant floor of some of America’s most dynamic companies. This is real-world stuff that you can use.

Boeing, DaimlerChrysler, Dow Chemical, Flexible Steel and Raytheon Missile Systems have already agreed to present case studies on how their plants are successfully using elements of lean. General Electric, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Johnson Controls, Kimberly-Clark, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Rockwell, S.C. Johnson and Tenneco Automotive are among the companies that have also been offered the opportunity to tell their secrets of lean success. George Koenigsaecker, the chairman of the board for the Shingo Prize, will be the keynote speaker.

I and Chris Christensen (an MRO Coach and the director of the University of Wisconsin School of Business’ Executive Education department) will be your hosts for the event.

Considering the speaker lineup, the companies that will be in attendance, and the opportunities to network and benchmark with peers doing some really neat stuff, “Lean Manufacturing University” can be categorized as a can’t-miss event.

Seats are limited, so sign up today!

To learn more about the conference, click here, and find news and updates on mrotoday.com or http://uwexeced.com.

To register, call or .

This article appeared in the June/July 2003 issue of MRO Today magazine. Copyright, 2003.

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