Thursday, September 13

9:00 a.m.
A3 Problem Solving Learning Builds Talented Engineers Collaboration
  • Mike Wilps, Sr. Manager
  • GIC*A Operations & Lean Processes
  • Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
A3 thinking leads to collaborative problem solving, enables timely decision making, and builds high performance engineers and innovators. Mike Wilps describes a cultural apathy toward A3 learning and use. He acknowledges the valuable, yet limited external source expertise. Mike describes how collaboration with Goodyear colleagues resulted in a re-designed A3 problem solving learning program. He describes the A3 elements, types, and how he engages engineers in the workshop. This is A3 learning from the inside. Mike will engage the Conference participants in an engineering problem using A3 process to solve the problem. This presentation will list A3 types/content: Critical Knowledge A3, Problem Solving A3, Proposal A3, Master A3, Status A3, Risk Assessment A3, Project Prioritization A3, et.al.
10:45 a.m.
Visual Processes Enable Teams to Meet Schedules
  • Wendell Short
  • Director of New Product Development
  • Sauder Woodworking Co.
Markets for Sauder’s consumer products are dynamic and changing. Customers require short times to market from concept to production. Wendell Short will demonstrate the Sauder’s approach to simplifying product design and development to fit shorter time to market schedules. He will show and demonstrate the essential elements needed to manage the people, tasks, stages and completion dates. Wendell demonstrates visual management boards: task types, people engineers, design completion dates, project milestones, project managers, et.al. that show the timelines.
1:00 p.m.
Product Safety/Reliability Risks Requires Engineering Talent
  • David Gregor
  • AGPV Functional Safety/Compliance Manager
  • Case New Holland
Increasing customer demands drive innovative products to increase function. Emerging technologies enable product function differentiation. So Complexity has increased beyond many of our expectations. Today’s product design engineer must develop autonomy and smart systems with a precision not required in the past. The last four years David has participated in Autonomous Vehicle design and focused on the inherent safety risks. He will show integrating Functional Safety, a relatively new concept to most engineers, into product design and development processes that result in products that are safer and more reliable. Functional Safety is a requirement of all electronically controlled systems. David will show the tradeoffs between design risk, machine performance and customer expectations. Safety must be designed into the system from the beginning. Mitigation of risk is paramount to financial success.
2:30 p.m.
Productivity: (f) of NPD Team Members’ Talents
  • Fred Hrdlicka
  • Director of Continuous Improvement
  • Pella Corporation
What are the driving components of team productivity? How is personal talent important? What about collaboration skills? Team Leadership? Fred Hrdlcka describes the beliefs, methods and practices that high performance teams use at Pella.
3:45 p.m.
Crisis Project Management
  • Rick Bauer
  • Director, Media Qualification
  • Corporate Technology | Technology Services
  • Donaldson Company, Inc. 
Maintaining a constant and reliable flow of raw materials to a production process is critical for business success. Concepts like Just-in-time Manufacturing and Lean Manufacturing sometimes leave little room for error. So, what happens when a raw material supply is threatened or is cut off unexpectedly? What about no back-up or buffer stock? A Crisis. Management must act. Managing crisis projects is a new, critical skill that companies must develop to survive. Having dual sourcing or dual supply for all raw materials is nearly impossible. Reacting to crises and responding effectively may be the next best alternative. Rick Bauer describes crisis project management at Donaldson Company. Rick presents the approach to project management that has been developed which differs somewhat from traditional projects. Rich engages the conference participants in their crisis management experiences. This enables comparisons of decision tools, skilled engaged people and their contributions to fully or not so fully resolve the crisis.