Sam MacPherson once provided the following analogy to help my understanding of the term ‘obeya’: "If you think of TPS (Toyota Production System) as being a nervous system, then obeya is actually the brain of the system," explained the executive director of the Lean Leadership Academy.
Boom. Just like that I understood the concept, if not the particulars, of an obeya.
As he told me more, I began to understand even the particulars of the obeya and ultimately wrote Obeya: The Brain of the Lean Enterprise.
MacPherson was a great source, both for the obeya article as well as others I have written on lean and the Toyota Production System. He’s got decades of experience and still works with Toyota leaders.
That expertise will be on display at the 2018 IndustryWeek Manufacturing & Technology Conference & Expo, which is happening in Raleigh, N.C., May 8-10. There MacPherson will partner with Toyota leader Jeremiah Duncan, production group leader, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, Powertrain, to deliver what is sure to be a learning experience for the audience.
The session, which occurs May 9, is titled Toyota’s Floor Management and Development System – Toyota’s Engine for Leadership and Operational Excellence.
Moreover, speaking of leadership and Toyota, Sean Suggs, president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi, will deliver one of four keynote addresses at this event. And one of the conference tour options is a supplier of transmissions to the automaker.
IndustryWeek has written about several of the companies or individuals who will be presenting at the 2018 IW Manufacturing & Technology Conference & Expo. Below are links to several of those articles and other media.
We hope to accomplish three goals with these links: 1.) provide a preview of what you can expect at our upcoming conference 2.) acquaint you with speakers or companies with whom you are unfamiliar, and 3.) share good reads that you may have missed the first time around.
Oh, and our fourth goal, to persuade you to visit the 2018 IndustryWeek Manufacturing & Technology Conference & Expo website to see our full line-up of speakers.
From Our 2018 Conference Keynote Speakers
Chris Mapes, CEO and President, Lincoln Electric
Lincoln Electric CEO: Meeting the Skills Gap Challenge
From Our Conference Tours
AW North Carolina (Toyota Supplier): 7 Ways a Japanese Smart Factory in the South Represents the Future of Manufacturing
Proto Labs: CEO Vicki Holt Aims to Take Proto Labs to $1B. Here's How
From the Expo Floor
MegaBots co-founders Gui Cavalcanti and Matt Oehrlein
More Than Meets the Eye: Manufacturers Build Real Transformer
From Our Track Sessions
Tom Brown, Executive Director, Corporate Productivity & Sustainability, Brewer Science, and James Korich, Engineering Systems Manager, Brewer Science
Continuous Improvement Deep Dive: How Brewer Science Amped Up Production Volume and Reduced Waste
2018 IndustryWeek Best Plants Award Winners
Meet the 2017 IndustryWeek Best Plants Award Winners: Exceptional Performers
Sam MacPherson, Founder and Executive Director, The Lean Leadership Academy
Obeya: The Brain of the Lean Enterprise
Obeya Management -- How World-Class Lean Enterprises are Connecting Hoshin Strategy to Daily Management
Erik Richardson, Continuous Improvement Leader, Intertape Polymer
For Intertape, Being Stickler for Safety and Improvement Creates Culture Change
Mike Starich, CEO, Orion Talent
A Recruiter With A Tough Job Ahead
John Frehse, Senior Managing Director, Ankura
Boosting Employee Engagement with Meaningful Analytics
