Home | About Florida MEP | Upcoming Events | Success Stories | Partners & Resources | News | Board of Directors
Contact Us | Enterprise Transformation | Performance Based Training | Supply Chain Management | Innovation
Click here for a printer-friendly version
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 11, 2007 |
For more information please contact: Gene Lussier Board Chair, Florida MEP 321-939-4000 |
|
IMPROVEMENT WORKSHOP TO PIA/GATF NATIONAL CONFERENCE ATTENDEES Workshops to Initiate Companies Into the Trying Environment of Manufacturing TALLAHASSEE, FL - Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a non-profit service helping manufacturers gain a competitive edge in the global marketplace, will present “102 Principles of Lean Manufacturing for Job Shops” and “202 Kaizen Rapid Improvement Workshop” for the Printing Industries of America, Inc. /Graphic Arts Technical Foundation Continuous Improvement Network Annual Conference in Jacksonville. The sessions, held Sunday, April 15 from noon to 5 p.m. at the Omni Jacksonville Hotel, will immerse its audience in a manufacturing scenario to experience the frustrations inherent in traditional manufacturing environments and the operation of internal supply chains. Through the four rounds of factory operation, attendees are introduced to the Lean principles and encouraged to apply them to the realistic simulation. The Kaizen workshop will focus on the implementation phase of a continual improvement transformation used in Lean, Six Sigma and supply chain improvement while teaching participants how to prepare and conduct their own Kaizen workshop. “Many businesses have seen significant results by applying the skills and lessons learned at this conference,” said Florida MEP Director of Operations Peter Weymouth. “Florida MEP looks forward to sharing its knowledge with such businesses and playing a part in the continued success of the PIA/GATF CIN Conference.” The PIA/GATF conference will feature a series of 10 case studies in which offset and flexographic printers share the intimate details of the successes. The case studies focus on the real-life implementation of such basic concepts as lean work team, sustaining improvement gains, value-stream mapping and more advanced concepts of six sigma, cellular work systems, gage studies and creating a culture of empowerment. Striving to help graphic communications companies increase efficiency, the PIA/GATF focuses its efforts on process improvements which maximize productivity, effectively train staff and build cohesive work teams, ultimately saving such companies time and money. Florida MEP is a non-profit service available to every manufacturer in the state to help them compete more effectively in the global marketplace. Improved efficiency, elimination of waste, international certifications, integration into global supply chains and connecting Florida businesses to the resources they need to become more profitable are among the benefits of working with the Florida MEP. In fact, in a recent survey, Florida MEP clients reported $96.2 million in increased and retained sales and 1,596 jobs created or retained as a direct result of guidance received by the program. Part of a nationwide network of MEP centers in all 50 states, and linked together through the Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Florida MEP enables even the smallest firms in Florida to have easy access to more than 2,000 manufacturing, technical and business specialists, along with the latest technology and industry best practices. For more information on Florida MEP or its involvement with the PIA/GATF Continuous Improvement Network Annual Conference, please contact Peter Weymouth at 321-939-4000. |
|