AHFA Sets Manufacturing Summit

March 1, 2010  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Business Strategy on March 2, 2010

Experts in lean manufacturing and benchmarking will headline the 2010 American Home Furnishings Alliance Manufacturing Summit, scheduled for Friday, May 21 at the Airport Embassy Suites in Greensboro, N.C.

Leading off the 9 a.m.-4 p.m. program is Jeremy Leonard, economic consultant for the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI Inc., a business research organization based in Arlington, Va. Leonard's work includes widely-cited research on the cost pressures affecting U.S. manufacturing competitiveness and sources of productivity growth. His overview of the state of manufacturing will draw on MAPI's most recent quarterly economic forecast. By supplying major assumptions for the economy and running simulations through the IHS Global Insight Macroeconomic Model, MAPI generates unique macroeconomic and industry forecasts.

The program continues with Jerry Epperson, managing director of Mann, Armistead & Epperson Ltd., Richmond, Va. Epperson's furniture industry overview and analysis is a perennial program highlight.

Afternoon speakers include Robert Camp, a leading authority on benchmarking. Camp spent 23 years at Xerox Corp., where he created benchmarking programs and led large-scale benchmarking investigations. He is the author of "Benchmarking: The Search for Industry Best Practices that Lead to Superior Performance."

The afternoon also will feature Dr. Randy Cook, a clinical professor in the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, and director of education with the Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence. The Shingo Prize is named for a Japanese industrial engineer who distinguished himself as one of the world's leading experts on improving manufacturing processes. Cook will offer insights to the Shingo Prize philosophy, which emphasizes integration of lean principles, lean systems of management and the application of lean tools and techniques to creating a culture of continuous improvement.

The 2010 Manufacturing Summit is open to all interested home furnishings executives. Companies do not have to be AHFA members to register. Registration is $149 for AHFA member company executives and $249 for non-member company executives. The fee includes an opening reception at the Embassy Suites Thursday evening, May 20, as well as lunch on Friday. Register online here. Under the Events tab, click on Manufacturing Summit.

Hotel reservations can be made by contacting the Embassy Suites directly at 336.668.4535, or on the hotel Web site.