2012 International Conference
The Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence marked 2012 with its 24th Annual International Conference. This year’s conference featured many outstanding speakers, as well as some celebrity appearances.
The opening social kicked off the conference with some sports legends that have shown excellence in their athletic careers. Athletes such as Artis Gilmore, Len Mattiace, Sam Jones,Paul Spicer, Paul Rochester, Pete Banaszak, Christian Laettner, and Shannon Miller gave inspirational speeches on how they strived for excellence in their careers.
Wednesday, May 2
Day two was filled with outstanding workshops and motivational keynote addresses. A few highlights of the day included a keynote by Billy Taylor, Keith Williams, and fireside chats with Ritsuo Shingo and Gary Convis.
Billy Taylor motivated the audience on how every leader can become a teacher. Mr. Taylor is a plant manager for Goodyear. He touched on the importance of learning. He said that in order to be a great teacher, you first have to become a great student. Mr. Taylor said that he is not the boss and his employees don’t work for him; Mr. Taylor said that he is the one who works for his employees.
Another standout speaker was Keith Williams. Mr. Williams is the president and chief executive officer and trustee of Underwriters Laboratories Inc. When Mr. Williams started at UL, their 100 years of culture was starting to lead to their downfall. In his presentation, Mr. Williams taught how concepts like constancy of purpose and creating value for the customer can change any culture for the better.
The evening was filled with words of wisdom from two thought leaders in lean: Gary Convis, COO of Bloom Energy, and Ritsuo Shingo, president of Institute of Management Improvement. Each Fireside Chat taught attendants valuable lessons and insights. Ken Snyder, executive dean and chief administrative officer of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, said that it was great to hear Mr. Shingo tell stories of his father. One in particular being how a “lean” burglar would start through the bottom up while rummaging through a chest of drawers.
Mr. Snyder also said he learned some valuable lessons about China and what strategies work best there. He said it was great to be able to sit down with Mr. Shingo in an intimate setting and learn from him.
Thursday, May 3
Thursday was a flow of valuable information from many influential speakers. Attendants had the opportunity to hear from John Toussaint, Paul McGinnis, and many others. Attendants also had the chance to attend our Annual Awards Ceremony and Gala to honor our recipients.
John Toussaint, ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value CEO, spoke of the importance of lean in healthcare systems. He gave many examples, including video segments of lean in action and how the importance of the nurses and other employees’ feedback and suggestions were in created more valuable systems.
From the fields of neuroscience, Paul McGinniss, director of training and delivery of the NeuroLeadership Group North America, brought a new way to think about accelerating change in an organization’s culture. Mr. McGinniss explained the brain’s primary needs and how they impact transformation initiatives.
Thursday night ended with the Awards Ceremony and Gala. Attendees were dressed to the nines as we honored our newest recipients who are:
Rexam Beverage Can, South America, Aguas Claras Cans in Aguas Claras, Rio Grande do Sul/Viamao, Brazil
US Synthetic in Orem, Utah, USA
Autoliv (China) Steering Wheel Co., Ltd. in Shanghai, China
Barnes Group Inc., Aerospace OEM Strategic Business Unit in Ogden, Utah, USA
dj Orthopedics de Mexico S.A de C.V. in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Lundbeck, Supply Operation and Engineering (Valby and Lumsas site) in Valby, Copenhagen, Denmark
Pentair Technical Products in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Remy Componentes, S. de R.L. de C.V. in San Luis Potosi, SLP, Mexico
Rexam Beverage Can South America-Recife Ends in Cabo Sto Agostinho, Cabo Sto Agostinho, Brazil
Tobyhanna Army Depot (AN/MST-T1 (V)) in Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, USA
Johnson Controls Lerma Plant in Lerma, Mexico
Letterkenny Army Depot, Aviation Ground Power Unit in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, USA
Leyland Trucks Ltd. in Leyland, Lacashire, UK
Remy Automotive Brasil Ltda. in Brusque, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Rexam Plastic Packaging do Brasil in Judiai, Sao Paulo, Brazil
US Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center in Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, USA
Research and Professional Publication Award
Building a Lean Fulfillment Stream by Robert Martichenko and Kevin Von Grabe
Lean Office and Service Simplified: The Definitive How-to Guide by Drew Locher
“Lean principles, learning, and knowledge work: Evidence from a software services provider” by Bradley R. Staats, David J. Brunner, and David M. Upton
On The Mend: Revolutionizing Healthcare to Save Lives and Transform the Industry by John Toussaint, MD and Roger A. Gerard, PhD
The Toyota Way to Continuous Improvement by Jeffrey K. Liker and James Franz
Transforming Health Care: Virginia Mason Medical Center’s Pursuit of the Perfect Patient Experience by Charles C. Kenney
Liquid Lean: Developing Lean Culture in the Process Industries by Raymond C. Floyd
The Remedy: Bringing Lean Thinking Out of the Factory to Transform the Entire Organizationby Pascal Dennis
The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership by Jeffery K. Liker and Gary L. Convis
Work That Makes Sense: Operator-Led Visuality by Gwendolyn D. Galsworth
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