Attendees of the Milliken & Co. Gilliland plant tour in Laurens, S.C., witnessed a world-class facility that manufactures over 200 different products in support of the parent company's line of textiles and chemicals. They had a chance to learn about a plant that is driven by self-directed work teams that have completed more than 100 kaizens over the past two years.
At the Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Pearl River facility in the New York metropolitan area, tour attendees learned about the plant's 100-year-long history in vaccines research and production. They got to see Wyeth's Process Analytic Technology, a practice that offers new ways to improve quality and reduce costs. Wyeth's focus on cycle-time reduction is helping the plant reduce inventories while enhancing shelf life. The Wyeth tour was sponsored by Kronos.