These speaking engagements (listed below) range from 20 minute, spoken presentations to 4+ hour workshops, depending on your need.   Presentation materials come from the actual practice of SMI.  Short speaking engagements are delivered in person by SMI President and Founder, Andy Pattantyus, while Andy and several other SMI Associates present workshops.  Upon request, and with sufficient advance notice, presentations on specific, related topics can be developed, customized to the needs of the customer.

~ Lean Manufacturing Topics ~

The Seven Deadly Sins of Manufacturing

A talk about the 7 wastes in manufacturing operations, with 2 bonus wastes (the biggest wastes of all).  Initially proposed by Taichi Ohno of Toyota, the 7 wastes are: overproduction, waiting, conveyance, processing, inventory, motion, and correction. 

An Introduction to Lean Manufacturing

What is Lean Manufacturing?  An overview of the methods used in Lean Manufacturing, and the benefits unleashed by implementing Lean Manufacturing

Are You Ready for Lean Manufacturing?  

A discussion of the benefits of a total Lean Manufacturing Initiative, along with an overview of the commitment necessary to achieve the desired results 

The 5Ss of Lean Manufacturing

Training, with management overview, of simple things done in the office and on the plant floor to reduce wastes (including wasted time) to improve productivity.  The 5 S's are: sorting, setting in order, shinning, standardizing, and sustaining.  How do you know how well you are doing?  This training even provides 5 levels of excellence so that you can rate your success.

Value Stream Mapping Overview

This essential Lean Manufacturing technique reveals waste on the factory floor and focuses attention on the changes that yield the most beneficial improvements.

Kanban Cards

The implementation of this paperless method of controlling material flow on the plant floor is described in detail.

The Visual Factory 

What makes a factory visual?  Once implemented, the visual factory empowers workers, supervisors, and top managers in that it causes informed conversations calling for action. 

Production Control

Small factories often lack the resources (both people and systems) to effectively control production.  Simple methods for controlling the small factory are reviewed, including: capacity planning, capacity control, and scheduling. 

Controlling Production Workflow

This discussion shows how production workflow is controlled using Lean Manufacturing methods, the visual factory and simple computer-based control tools.   

~ Automation & Technical Topics ~

Automation Workshop

Filled with real life examples, this workshop focuses on how to think about automation.  A key point is that many benefits of automation can be obtained without actually spending the money on full-scale, robotic automation.  Normally a 4 hour workshop, various topics can be added/removed to create workshops from 2 to 8 hours in duration, as needed. 

Modular High Speed Assembly Machines

High speed machinery presents unique challenges.  These challenges can be addressed with the application of modular design techniques and modular architectures.

A Roadmap to Successful Implementation of Modular Manufacturing Equipment

Companies start down the path to modularity, but fall short.  Discussed are the various reasons why implementation fails, including the cultural hurdles stemming from top leadership.

The Power of Modularity

Modularity is a poorly understood, but extremely powerful, design technique that can be applied to almost any product, service or system.  Use of modularity in the design of products, systems, and manufacturing can have highly strategic and financially beneficial impacts on a company, when applied appropriately. 

~ Strategic Planning & Management Topics ~

What is Strategic Planning? 

"Strategic Planning" gets confused with "Long Term Planning," when, in reality, the two are worlds apart.  Strategic Planning is planning that considers the environment within which the company exists and the responses the company can make (business model) in order to prosper within that competitive environment. 

The Strategic Planning Meeting

How do you plan and run a strategic planning meeting?  While not intended to train the audience on how to do it, this presentation gives an excellent overview of the Strategic Planning meeting process, the value of the professional facilitator, and the commitment required by the senior management team in order to achieve results. 

A Strategic Plan in One Day

This 45 minute presentation describes a method of facilitating a One Day Strategic Planning meeting covering: 1) Meeting Preparation, 2) meeting Structure, Content and Flow, and 3) proper use of the Results in the days and weeks following the planning session.  The facilitator's duty is summarized, including facilitation techniques to embrace and avoid.

Project Management 101

What is project management?  Why is it such a powerful tool?  Why is it important in our everyday lives?  These questions and many others are addressed.

The Project Managed Organization

What is the difference between the functionally organized company and the project managed organization?  Each system has strengths and weaknesses, and is ideally suited to certain kinds of business environments.  Sometimes, a hybrid of the two would be ideal.  However, few companies achieve that level of organization.  Traditional terms used to describe organizations include silos (for the functional organization) and matrix (to describe project managed organizations).

Before the Commitment of Capital

An overview of the thinking required before capital funds are committed for the long term.  Two common expenditures include the purchase or long term lease of a facility, and the purchase of manufacturing machinery with little or no resale value.  

Leadership: Get Everyone Rowing in the Same Direction

How do you practice leadership in a manner that inspires others to follow?  This presentation describes in detail 3 of 5 principles of leadership, inspired by the book by Bob Boylan, "Get Everyone in Your Boat Rowing in the Same Direction", including: Values, Vision, and Credo.  These same principles are also the solid foundation of a strategic plan.

Meeting Skills - Avoiding 'Groundhogs Day' Meetings

Poor meetings abound, and we have all had to suffer through them.  How do you run a meeting in a crisp and results oriented manner?  How do you avoid having the same meeting, week after week?  The specific dysfunctions of poor meetings are examined first.  Then tools and techniques are presented such that anyone can choose to run an effective meeting. 

Workshop - A Strategic Plan in One Day

This one-day workshop is done with the Sr. Management of a commercial company, or with the Board of a Non-Profit.  This one-day workshop follows a well developed process and is professionally facilitated to produce results.  Based on core values, the group develops a vision, a Big Hairy Audacious Goal, and then develops 3 possible but unique strategic paths.  This meeting kicks off the formation of a strategic planning and decision making process for organizations that need improvement in both areas.

~ Community Responsibility Topics ~

Community Service and the Professional

An overview of the importance of community service in the life of a professional.  Professional interests and community service interests are thickly interwoven and prove difficult to define a boundary between the two.