This premier event will feature four concurrent tracks with industry leaders from diverse manufacturing and service sectors, covering key topics such as Six Sigma, Lean Enterprise, Quality, and Reliability.
Attendees will gain practical strategies and proven tools to drive continuous improvement and operational excellence within their organizations.
Topics / Speakers:
➢ Chasing Waste in a Services Environment, Chuck Underwood, Quality Manager – Intel Account, Amentum. In this session, the presenter will explore chasing waste in a people-based environment, highlighting the lean implementation journey of a third-party facilities maintenance provider and the shared lessons learned along the way.
➢ History and Application of Statistics at Boeing, Thomas Hall & Jason Philip, Manufacturing Engineer Project Manager & Industrial Engineer, The Boeing Corp. Experience a brief history of statistics and how it has been applied at The Boeing Corp. throughout the years. Learn how statistics affects automation and how it can be applied successfully in business.
➢ How Lean Drives ESG and Sustainability Efforts, Chris Sons, Production Manager, PTI-QCS. This presentation will explore how lean manufacturing principles—such as waste reduction and continuous improvement—directly support and enhance Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives and broader sustainability efforts within modern manufacturing operations.
➢ Lean Sigma Applications in Governmental Organizations, Kent James, Executive Director, Illuminative Strategies Inc. “Helping governmental organizational…. that help people”. This presentation will provide insights on supporting mission-driven government organizations in delivering better outcomes for people, with modern tools and efficient, people-centered approaches that focus on processes from a Lean perspective.
➢ Lean’s Eight Wastes Simulation, Barton Welker & Sepehr H. Gashti, Senior Process Architect & Process Optimization Consultant, Illuminative Strategies Inc. The core of Lean methodology involves the identification and elimination of waste. To help focus efforts in this area, Lean practitioners developed a list of eight wastes which establish the most likely areas where waste will occur. This presentation will focus on how using a simulation, the wastes in a process can become visible to employees and consequently, help create the desire for change.
➢ Occupational Safety & Health Trends Update, Lori Amerman, Operations Coordinator, Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC). In this session, the presenter will be screening a review of current trends and best practices in the field of occupational safety and health management including the latest updates for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulatory compliance.
➢ Optimal Design of Experiments for Calibration, Dr. Gregory DeYong, Associate Professor, College of Business and Analytics – SIUC. In this presentation, the speaker will discuss how to develop calibration procedures using both Design of Experiments (DoE) and simulation methodologies. Optimization criteria for information matrices and the strengths (and weaknesses) of the DOE approach will be covered.
➢ Problem Solving – What Every Company is Looking For, Kent Gouty, Consultant. This presentation is an interactive workshop. Handouts will be given to the participants for their reference. It will focus on my 45-year experience of problem- solving at General Motors which overlaps a similar to Six Sigma program at GM called “RED X”.
➢ Quality: Customer’s Perspective, Jesse Stevenson, Adjunct Professor, College of Engineering, Computing, Technology & Mathematics – SIUC. This presentation will focus in the implications of the definition and importance of the quality function. The workshop will include the discussion of tools used to help the understanding of quality from the customer’s perspective.
➢ The Leadership Challenge, Dr. Bruce DeRuntz, Director, Leadership Development Program, College of Engineering, Computing, Technology & Mathematics – SIUC. KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: Explore the core principles of The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posner, focusing on the proven five practices of exemplary leadership. This session will provide practical strategies for inspiring, motivating, and leading teams to success. Whether you’re an experienced leader or just starting out, you’ll gain valuable tools to enhance your leadership journey.
➢ Using Lean Leadership to Make Quality Everyone’s Job, Sepehr H. Gashti, Process Optimization Consultant, Illuminative Strategies Inc.
This presentation introduces Lean Leadership as a tactical system for developing intrapreneurs—self-motivated problem solvers who challenge the status quo, initiate improvements, and take ownership of quality without the need for a formal title. Attendees will learn how to build self-checking systems, drive daily improvements, and foster a culture where quality is everyone’s responsibility.
➢ Using LEAN/TOC in a Repair Shop Environment vs. a Steady State Environment, Bart Welker, Former Commander 182d Maintenance Group, Illuminative Strategies Inc. This presentation highlights the application of LEAN and Theory of Constraints (TOC) principles to improve aircraft availability within a Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) operation. Although LEAN/TOC is traditionally associated with steady-state manufacturing environments, this presentation will demonstrate how these methodologies were successfully adapted to a dynamic MRO setting. By implementing these tools, our unit achieved the highest mission capable rates in the U.S. Air Force for 8 out of 10 years between 2006 and 2016.
Cost: $100.00 for Professionals $40.00 for Faculty $10.00 for Students