Auburn Technical Assistance Center News Briefs For Stakeholders

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Since 1976Helping Business and Industry Become More Competitive

Fourth Quarter 2008

Hank Czarnecki speaking at ASQ national conference

Hank Czarnecki, who leads ATAC’sLean continuous improvement instructor team at AU’s College of Business, is a presenting speaker at the 2009 Lean Six Sigma Conference, March 2-3 in Phoenix.

Czarnecki’s topic, “Utilizing a Lean Management System to Sustain a Lean Culture,” is among a series of noteworthy continuous improvement presentations slated for the nationally attended event, sponsored by the American Society for Quality.

The 2009 event is the ASQ’s ninth conference focused on providing attendees with proven first-hand applications and best practices for applying continuous improvement to any process organization. Targeted participants include top executives and managers involved in manufacturing operations; quality control and assurance; transactional businesses; healthcare, service, financial and governmental organizations.

David Hicks addresses Lean maintenance conference

David Hicks, an ATAC Lean Specialist, was a featured speaker at the Lean Tools for Maintenance and Reliability Conference, Oct. 6-8 in Chicago.

The program is the only conference focused on putting Lean process improvement tools to work at the core of an operation. Last year's event attracted companies from 26 states and four countries to learn about success cases from such firms as Toyota, Honda, Harley-Davidson, Eastman Chemical, Energizer, AstenJohnson and Nordson.

Hicks' topic, "Leading the Lean Reliability Initiative," focused on the need for management support and clear connections between Lean activities and bottom-line results. Hicks discussed the establishment of standardized work practices, visual metrics and problem solving techniques that help sustain a continuous improvement initiative.

With Eureka Winning Ways

ATAC helps companies create growth strategies

For additional information about any of the items published in this issue of “AuburnWorks” contact Mitch Emmons, 334.844.3881

To help small and mid-sized manufacturers grow top-line sales, the Alabama Technology Network (ATN) has partnered with the Eureka! Ranch, a leading innovation group that has helped companies like Nike, American Express, and Walt Disney to generate business-building ideas.

Auburn Technical Assistance Center (ATAC), the ATN center at Auburn University, has alignedQuality Filters Inc. of Robertsdale, Ala., where ATAC’s assistance in implementing Eureka! Winning Ways has helped this 26-year-old firm expand into a profitable niche market that presently accounts for about 15 percent of the company’s sales and shows a potential for doubling over the next few months.

Quality Filters manufactures a full line of products for the HVAC and paint booth filtration industries. The company has grown over its more than 26-year history from a small manufacturing firm with a limited line of pleated filters to a competitive presence offering a large array of HVAC, gas phase and paint filtration products nationwide.

“We are a very innovative company with a lot of ideas,” said Rich Scott, company president. “Our employees have always strived to devise new and better ways to meet customer demands and to keep our company competitive. Our challenge as a small company, though, was organizing those efforts. Eureka! Winning Ways gave us a very effective way to get our ideas organized, evaluate them, and conduct the necessary market research to better guarantee success. It also gave us the momentum to launch and sustain the program through implementation.”

Quality Filters is presently installing new manufacturing equipment to the tune of a more than $23,000 investment to meet customer demands in its new growth area, according to Scott.

ATAC staffers attain additional Lean credentials

Dave Devore, a Lean Specialist with ATAC, has attained the status of “Bronze Certified Lean Manufacturing”by the AME. Devore had completed AME/SME/Shingo Bronze Knowledge Certification last year.

Rick Battye, a Lean Specialist with ATAC, completed AME/SME/Shingo Bronze Knowledge Certification.

Mitch Emmons, Senior Outreach Associate with ATAC, completed AME/SME/Shingo Bronze Knowledge Certification.* AME = Association for Manufacturing Excellence* SME = Society of Manufacturing Engineers

The company launched its EWWinitiative largely to evaluate an idea that there was a demand for its product among environmentally conscious homeowners.

The result: Quality Filters has captured a previously un-tapped Internet sales base through which it markets custom air quality filters to residential customers.

“This is a market segment valued at some $1 billion nationally,” Scott said. “Eureka! Winning Ways has helped us capture a portion of that market for our business in a significant volume.”

Auburn Technical Assistance Center147 Lowder Business BuildingAuburn, AL 36849-5350

Auburn Technical Assistance Center was established in 1976 and is an affiliate of the Alabama Technology Network and an Economic Development Administration University Center. As an arm of the Auburn University College of Business, ATAC provides business and technical assistance, customized training, and consultation in implementing value-added strategies to manufacturers and other businesses, not-for-profit organizations and government agencies in Alabama and the Southeast. Auburn University is an equal opportunity educational institute/employer.