Certified Lean Champions Help Local Companies Reduce Waste, Improve Productivity

Over 30 area manufacturing employees participate in Lean Champion Certification Program

LAWRENCE & MERCER COUNTIES, PA – March 14, 2011 –

On Thursday, March 10, eight representatives from various manufacturers in Lawrence and Mercer County were awarded certificates for having successfully completed the Lean Champion Certification Program sponsored by the Advanced Materials and Diversified Manufacturing (AMDM) Industry Partners of the

L-R:  Front Row:  Michael Homick, Edwin Derr II, Larry Stainbrook

Back Row:  David Rable, Robert Christoff, Bill Stevenson, Chris Dickson, Howard Wilson

West Central Job Partnership (WCJP).  An additional twenty-two company representatives also expanded their knowledge of Lean Manufacturing by attending one or more of the seven classes.

The program, conducted by the Northwest Industrial Resource Center (NwIRC), included seven 8-hour classes held weekly at the Training and Workforce Development Center at LindenPointe Innovative Business Campus in Hermitage.  Howard Wilson, the Lean Services Director of the NwIRC, taught the classes.

Certificates were awarded to those participants who attended all seven classes, completed assignments, including readings, creation of Value Stream maps and A3 story boards, and learned Kaizen and A3 Problem Solving techniques.  They are: Michael Homick, Edwin Derr II, and  Walter Lucas from CCL Container, Hermitage; Doug Rhoades, Alec Moyer, Larry Stainbrook, and David Rable from Roll Forming Corporation, Sharon; and Robin Barbour from Dairy Farmers of America, New Wilmington & West Middlesex.

Elimination of waste in business processes is one of the most effective ways to achieve dramatic improvements in cost, quality, and time.  And one of the most effective ways a company can eliminate waste is to have a Lean Champion on staff – an employee who is trained in how to use the various tools available to implement valuable process improvements. 

“Having a Lean Champion on staff enables a company to implement programs and processes that will improve profitability and competitiveness,” said Eric Karmecy, Assistant Director of Workforce Development of West Central Job Partnership. 

Certified Lean Champions are trained to:

• Provide clearer focus on what needs to be done to improve profitability and competitiveness
• Demonstrate how employee actions directly affect goals
• Assure projects are linked to strategic performance via development of real time performance measures

Robert Christoff, HR & Safety Manager at Dairy Farmers of America, signed up with some of his colleagues, "I was worried how some of our production people would handle sitting in full day training sessions, but we quickly discovered that this was not a problem at all.  Each session was interesting and the activities and exercises kept us busy! The materials and instruction were excellent. I would highly recommend it," he said. 

Alec Moyer, PE, Plant Manager at Roll Forming Corporation in Sharon, noted, “We have had several members of our staff complete the Lean Champion Certification Program.  We are very pleased with the program structure and the hands-on style of training.  We are walking away with new knowledge that we are able to apply directly to our manufacturing operation.  The new level of understanding of the Lean Techniques will allow us to become more efficient in our production and office areas, reduce our inventory, and provide better service to our customers.  This training allows Pennsylvania manufacturers to remain competitive in a global economy.”

Edwin C. Derr II, Lean Coordinator, CCL Container in Hermitage added, “About two months ago, my employer, CCL Container, had made me “Lean” Coordinator.  Shortly after, the Plant Manager suggested that I take a class at LindenPoint here in Hermitage, Pa. through NWIRC.  Now CCL Container is in full swing with Continuous Improvement.  Thanks to the training, I am able to spread “Lean” concepts to our fellow employees with more knowledge and confidence.  I also feel that because of the tools and concepts that I was given, CCL Container will have the opportunity to become more efficient.”

The Lean Champion Certification Program is open to any manufacturers in Mercer and Lawrence Counties.  The next program is scheduled to begin April 12th and will run for seven consecutive weeks, thru May 24th at the LindenPointe location.  Manufacturers who are interested in participating should contact Jackie Haggerty of WCJP at 724-658-2501 or email jhaggerty@wcjp.org.

For more information on upcoming programs, contact:  Eric Karmecy, ekarmecy@wcjp.org  724-658-2501 ext. 228

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INSTALL ENERGY EFFICIENT EQUIPMENT AND GET CASH INCENTIVES! 

FirstEnergy’s business programs will help pay for energy efficiency measures, including lighting, HVAC, motors and more.  Met-Ed, Penelec and Penn Power, FirstEnergy’s Pennsylvania utilities (FirstEnergy), offer a variety of incentives and assistance programs designed to encourage commercial and industrial customers to install high-efficiency equipment.  Equipment purchased and installed on or after October 28, 2009 is eligible.  All retroactive applications must be received by May 15, 2011. This could mean thousands of extra dollars to you, so don’t delay.  Get your applications in NOW! 

Available programs include:

• The Standard Lighting Incentives for Business program for installations of high-efficiency linear fluorescents, Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs), Light Emitting Diode (LED) exit signs and lighting controls. 
• The Non-Standard Lighting Incentives for Business program incentivizes various energy saving lighting measures not eligible for the Standard program.
• The Motors and Drives Incentives for Business program for installation of high-efficiency motors and Variable Speed Drives (VSDs).
• The HVAC Incentives for Business program offers incentives for installation of high-efficiency heat pumps, chillers, unitary/split systems and packaged terminal systems.
• The Custom Incentives for Business program supports projects not fitting into other programs.

And we're already having a SALE!  FirstEnergy is pleased to offer an additional $0.03/kWh incentive for most Penn Power customers.  Non-Standard Lighting and Custom projects in Penn Power territory with equipment installed between October 28, 2009 and May 1, 2011 are eligible for a bonus incentive of $0.03/kWh, for a total incentive rate of $0.08/kWh!  This could mean thousands of extra dollars to you, so don’t delay.  This bonus is only available for a limited time, and applies only to new applications received between March 1 and May 1, 2011.

Call 866-554-4430, or visit the For Your Business section of www.energysavePA.com for applications and more information. 

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Additional upcoming SBDC seminars:

Doing Business with the Commonwealth of PA

April 15, 2011  9:00 a.m. - noon @ Gannon SBDC, Erie

The Basics of Responsive and Responsible Bidding

April 15, 2011  1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.  @ Gannon SBDC, Erie

Harness the Power of Social Media

April 28, 2011  9:00 a.m. - noon  @ Gannon SBDC, Erie

May 12, 2011  9:00 a.m. - noon  @ Gannon SBDC, Mercer

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Microloan Funds Available

The SBA Microloan program has an additional $200,000 available for loans to entrepreneurs or existing businesses with small projects.  The program lends up to $20,000 for machinery & equipment and working capital at a 6% rate for up to five years.

Please Click here to view the microloan fact sheet.

For more information, please contact Jill Newcomer at Penn-Northwest @

724-662-3705 ext. 1585 or jnewcomer@penn-northwest.com

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Pennsylvania’s True Commonwealth:  State of Manufacturing – Challenges and Opportunities

In February 2011, the landmark study “Pennsylvania’s True Commonwealth:  State of Manufacturing – Challenges and Opportunities” was publicly released and is available at http://www.pamade.org.  The research team was led by one of the nation’s foremost thought leaders on manufacturing, Dr. Edward W. Hill.  Dr. Hill and his research team examined the past three years of the manufacturing industry, data collected by the Industrial Resource Centers, state offices and other relevant research groups to figure out exactly how manufacturing has impacted the Commonwealth, and to develop recommendations on what policymakers can do to foster the industry. 

This is the most current in-depth look at the complex and ever evolving industry of manufacturing.  The research encompasses both quantitative and qualitative data, and will assist Pennsylvania is working toward growing and advancing this industry to have significant and immediate economic impact.

Excerpt from PEDA "Newsflash"  Feb 28, 2011  

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American worker retools with new skills

NBC's Tom Brokaw reports on the shift away from old-line manufacturing by the American worker towar towards information, science, and technology.

http://www.nbc.com/news-sports/msnbc-video/american-worker-retools-with-new-skills/

Industry Needs You: 2011 Student Video Contest

Lawrence and Mercer County high school students were invited to represent their school and show off their production skills by creating a 3 - 5 minute video showcasing a local manufacturing company.

Videos will be judged by a panel of local business leaders, as well as by public voting on IndustryNeedsYou.com.

The following manufacturers participated:  Bucks Fabricating, Consolidated Glass, Doren, Ellwood Crankshaft & Machine, Extreme Machine, Flowline - MEI Division, Ilsco, IPEC, Muscle Products, Pizza Joe's, Precision Feedscrews, Veka, West Penn Printing, Wintronics and Xaloy

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