Society of Manufacturing Engineers Chapter 164 Newsletter

http://chapters.sme.org/164/

In this issue:

:: Sponsors

:: This Month's Meetings

:: F.Y.I.

Sponsors

Please support our sponsors; they make our chapter events possible by   underwriting the cost.

DoALL
Industrial Supplies and Equipment
Greenville Tech.
130 plus programs. 4 Campuses. One valuable college education. Greenville Tech’s Buck Mickel Center
Training That Works. Training and Consulting in areas of Quality, Lean Six Sigma, Leadership, Computer, Environmental and Safety and many others.    
Griffin Gear Inc.
Quality Replacement Gears
Kidder Group Professional Recruiters
Specializing in recruiting professionals with expertise in Manufacturing disciplines.
TEC Incorporated
The Automated Manufacturing    and Productivity Exposition.  
Alfe
Commerical Heat Treating
Asset Point
The Proven Pioneer in Asset Management Software and Solutions for Process and Manufacturing Industries
South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership
A not-for-profit organization   helping manufacturers throughout South Carolina solve business and supply chain problems.

February 2005 Chapter News

Dear SME Member,

Hey folks, we're off and running for 2005.  This will be an action-packed, extraordinary year for Chapter 164.  We started January with a great meeting by eBridge President Brad Cunningham http://www.ebridge.ws/.  We want to thank Brad and his team for an outstanding presentation on improving the supply chain.  Many manufacturing firms do a great job manufacturing their product, and then drop the ball between the end of the plant and the final customer.  Just think how many times you've seen damaged merchandise in a store.  If you would like help in this area, call eBridge.  They've helped their clients save millions of dollars.  Thanks again, Brad.  

THE BIG EVENT!!!  APRIL 4th

OK Team, here it is.  This is your chance to really see how the Upstate and America can compete against foreign competition with their long supply chains and even longer lead times.  This awesome day will help you understand how Lean Manufacturing and JIT can allow you to customize your product sometimes up to hours before delivery.  BMW is famous for this flexibility, and according to friends in Production and Inventory Control departments who calculated out the number of combinations of options, BMW offers over 20,000 combinations on some of their vehicles.  Customers (yes, that's a big word) can change their mind on options literally up to a few days before their vehicle is produced. 

This will be an all day event on Collaborative Production Management with 3 Plant tours that will include BMW and two of their top suppliers, Draexelmair and Seeber USA (Seeber is 90% sure they can handle the tour).  Will will also have multiple presentations, lunch, and two Keynote Speakers.  SME is chartering buses to handle the logistics, so all that you have to do is show up at BMW's famous Zentrum at 7:30 am.  We'll take care of the rest. 

Sign up early if you are interested.  We will be inviting SME members from the entire southeast, and SME National is opening this up to SME members from around the globe.  If you want to come, act quickly so you won't miss out. 

DATE/TIME: Monday, APRIL 4th, 2005

LOCATION:  BMW Zentrum

PLEASE RSVP:   http://chapters.sme.org/164/050404_BMW.htm   RSVP is required, and is limited to the first 100 who RSVP.  Cost: $50 for Student SME Members (limit 10); $100 for SME members; $185 for non-SME members.  (SME annual membership is $85.  As you can see, we are really trying to give you an incentive to join SME.  Plus, this way, you won't have to hassle with expense reports for an entire year. You can sign up on-line at www.sme.org and you'll become an SME member in minutes.)

Here's a quick overview of one of the Presentations.

Lean Sigma Blitz: How automotive manufacturers implement continuous improvement in half the time through Collaborative Production Management.

Shrinking margins and continued economic pressures drive manufacturers to deliver high quality products in shorter periods of time and at a lower cost each year.  Lean, Six Sigma and other Continuous Improvement initiatives are seeing renewed emphasis as keys to success and have reached prominence through enthusiastic adoption by world-class manufacturers, yet the benefits still remain elusive for many. 

Achieving these goals is complicated by the fact that every manufacturing and supply chain process is a complex web of information flows that involve both the transactional-based enterprise and real-time production worlds. Too often Continuous Improvement initiatives lose momentum early on in the process due to extensive efforts required to manually collect, analyze and report on critical data.  Additional issues regarding the lack of available, real-time and accurate information about critical processes and how it influences the manufacturing enterprise and supply chain can further hinder progress.

Properly managed, this information can help a company become a true world-class manufacturer and empower a company’s continuous improvement efforts.  Improperly managed, they can become the agents of disaster, resulting in poor quality, late deliveries, excess inventory, rising operating costs, and create a constant reactionary mode to problem-solving which may ultimately drive the manufacturer out of business.  By employing the proper Collaborative Production Management (CPM) strategy, companies can solve the missing link that hinders performance improvements and drive more value from their enterprise business and supply chain systems. 

This session will present the attendee with step-by-step methods regarding how to deploy a CPM strategy to rapidly accelerate continuous improvement initiatives, create greater employee buy-in, and significantly increase the probability of achieving a company’s Lean and Six Sigma objectives. 

Additionally, a case study will be presented regarding how a top tier-1 automotive supplier created a real-time visual factory that resulted in significant productivity improvements and delivered rapid cost savings.

 Many thanks to Don Kier who has redesigned the website.  If you have not seen our new Chapter 164 Website, take a minute to check it out.  http://chapters.sme.org/164/

This Month's Meetings

Lunch and Learn - Total Cost of Ownership by Rockwell Automation 
Do you ever need to cost justify a product or service that works better but costs more?  Now there is a way to quickly measure the value of any product, service, or system…in your terms, using your information.  Now you can buy products that deliver the lowest total cost of ownership for your company, and have the financial data to back it up. The TCO process enable you to match, map, model and deliver value. A key part of the modeling process is the TCO Toolbox® software, voted by the readers of Plant Engineering Magazine as the Gold Award winner for Product of the Year. See how the TCO Appraisal Process has been applied to: • Identify over $54 million in customer cost savings and value. • Deliver a 7 to 1 ROI based on cost savings. • Enable over $11 million in new performance based contracts to be signed. • Lean Concepts and Advanced Maintenance Techniques • Delivering value with performance based agreements Key take aways include: • The Total Cost of Ownership Appraisal Process. • A 90 day demo of the award winning TCO Toolbox® software. • Seven steps you can apply the following day to measure value. Email: tcotoolbox@powersystems.rockwell.com. 2005. For more information please visit www.tcotoolbox.com

DATE/TIME: Tuesday February 22^nd, 2005, 11:30 am – 1:00pm

Cost:  FREE for SME Members; $10 for Non-SME Members.

LOCATION:  Embassy Suites Greenville – Verdae Blvd.

PLEASE RSVP: http://chapters.sme.org/164/sign_me_up.htm by Friday, February 18th.
Directions: From I-85 - Take Exit 48B-US 276 West. Turn right on Verdae Blvd. The hotel is on the right.  From I-385 North - Take Exit 37 to Roper Mountain Rd. and turn left. Follow until it turns into Verdae Blvd. The hotel is on the left.  From I-385 South - Take Exit 37 to Roper Mountain Rd. - turn right. Follow until it turns into Verdae Blvd. The hotel is on the left.

Evening Meeting - SCSPE Piedmont Chapter Engineers Week Banquet       Please join us as we hold a joint meeting with the South Carolina Society of Professional Engineers to celebrate Engineers' Week and to honor the Teachers of the Year and the Engineer and Young Engineer of the Year. 

DATE/TIME: Friday, February 25, 2005 6:00 pm–10:00 pm  

COST: $45 per person (Individual) $500 (Half-Table Sponsorship) or $1,000 (Full Table Sponsorship)

LOCATION: Holly Tree Country Club  

PROGRAM: Keynote Speaker:  Jane Jenkins Herlong, professional speaker & author

RSVP: by February 17th to Ritch O'Kelly rokelly@onealinc.com 864-298-2112 or Brian Tiffany   864-288-3009.

Manufacturing & Industrial MarketPlace
Slated for March 30, 2005

Where else can you find the undivided attention of up to 88 manufacturers and industrial business associates while you explain the advantages of doing business with your company? This gathering allows CEOs, Presidents, VP's, Engineers, Operations, Procurement, Business and Sales Managers the opportunity to promote products and services to other prospective manufacturing and industrial customers throughout SC.

Join us Wednesday, March 30th from 9:30 am-5:00 pm, at Crowne Plaza on Roper Mountain Road for this wonderful opportunity. Meet representatives and decision makers from Michelin North America, UST Technologies, Pro Cal Professional Decals, Factory Systems, NAPM (National Association of Purchasing Managers), SME (Society of Manufacturing Engineers), among others.

The registration fee is $100.00 for businesses and includes a lunch and complete participant list for future follow up. To RSVP, contact Debbie Griffith-Brown at (864) 640-4144 or at  debbie@pnconnections.org or fill out the attached registration form.

This manufacturing and industrial networking opportunity allows manufacturing and industrial firms to make up to seven new contacts every 24 minutes. This event offers you business and personal exposure to a previously untapped network of prime business contacts, in a unique and entertaining format.

With the pre-determined, personalized rotation schedule, you will be seated at an assigned table with up to seven other business people. You will have two minutes to present yourself and your company or service and a minute to answer questions. You will then go to another table with five to seven new people and start all over again. By the end of the event you will have talked to every businessperson in the room.

Only two representatives from each industry (classification) will be allowed to participate (e.g., two chemical manufacturers, each from a separate company). You may use whatever brochures or collateral you need to enhance your presentation.

Don’t miss the fun, excitement or exposure.
 

Open House

MF Inspec Inc. Cordially Invites you to Join us for a day of refreshments and demonstrations At our Customer Appreciation Workshop Bring your own manufactured part for a Special Demonstration using the Laser Scanner.! ! This workshop will be held on siteat: MF Inspec, 6527 State Park Rd.Travelers Rest, sc 29690 On March 17-18, 2005. R.S.V.P to Miranda 864-834-5449

MF Inspec began as a PM, service, repair, and calibration provider for Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMMs), most notably larger, complex systems. Since then we have grown into one of only six certified Renishaw CMM Integrators in the entire US

SME Regional Events

F.Y.I.

Are you looking to market your company to a local company in a positive manner? If so, consider sponsoring our newsletter and website. You can reach close to 9,000 people per month for the rock bottom price of $150 per year. This includes a link in our newsletter and a posting on our chapters' website. If you are interested, send your check to Gavin Waters SME PO Box 305 Reidville, SC 29375 with your contact info. We will add you to the newsletter and website shortly after your check arrives.

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