Made Lean in America

I am very pleased to help announce and strongly encourage you to attend the Northeast Shingo Prize Conference on October 5-6 in Springfield, MA.  The theme, "Made Lean in America," sets forth the premise of the conference, that greater competitiveness and efficiency is possible in many sectors of our economy by adopting the principles of Lean process improvement.

The conference is organized by GBMP (Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership), a not-for-profit group whose mission is to sustain a strong and vibrant regional economy by improving the operational profitability and competitiveness of existing and emerging organizations, large and small, through training in Lean and continuous improvement principles.  GBMP was of substantial help to me and my hospital as we introduced Lean to our leadership and staff.  I do not exaggerate when I say that their advice saved us millions of dollars, improved the work environment, and enhanced patient care in our hospital.

Starting with an introductory address by John Shook, CEO of the Lean Enterprise Institute, entitled, "Outsourcing: The Big Lie," the sessions move on to a compendium of practical advice, progress reports from a variety of industries, and ample opportunities for networking.  It will be excellent for health care people, but also those from other fields.  You can register for the conference here.

GBMP's President, Bruce Hamilton, is probably best known for his video Toast, an introduction to Lean concepts.  Here he is with an abbreviated version about the conference (click here if you cannot see the video):