Manufacturer of the Year Conference

Celebrating manufacturers committed to continuous improvement

Congratulations to this Year’s Winners!

Conference Highlight

Watch our recap of last year’s Manufacturer of the Year Conference.

MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR

Conference Schedule

7:30 AM: Registration & Breakfast

8:30 AM: Keynote

9:15 AM: Awards Ceremony

10:00 AM: Break

10:30 AM: Breakout Sessions

11:30 AM: Event Concludes

Mike Gooch – Keynote Presenter

Developing Global CI Cultures

What does a CI Culture look like?
What does it mean to have a ‘Global Culture’
IS there a difference from country to country?
How do you overcome obstacles or differences?

About Mark:
Mark is a hands-on senior operations executive and Lean Practitioner. He has a multi-disciplinary/industry background with a heavy concentration in aerospace, industrial equipment, diversified manufacturing and the health care industry. His lean journey began with intense training with Shingijutsu and Toyota. He has applied process improvement activities for more than 40 years across industries in multiple countries. He believes and has encouraged that the process comes first in improvement, then builds the actions required for change as identified by the process needs.

The Leadership Gym to Help You Build Muscle and Cardio

Neal Johnson – Breakout Speaker

Great athletes use the gym to improve their game. Great leaders need to use leadership-gyms to improve theirs. Join me in the leadership gym to learn about routines and exercises to help you become a great leader.

About Neal: I was born the 9th of 12 siblings and raised in the Twin Cities. I currently live in the country on a hobby farm outside of Carver. I am the proud father of four smart, strong, beautiful daughters. I’ve had the privilege to work in several industries but have always worked in short-run custom manufacturing. I’ve been part of three Manufacturer-of-the-Year winning teams.

Lean in Spanish

Robert Dewane – Breakout Speaker

Do you have team members that speak Spanish? Do they need to learn how to improve processes? Join me to learn how to identify and eliminate waste, clearly define problems, and apply Lean principles and PDCA cycles all in Spanish!

About Robert: Robert Dewane began his lean journey in the late 90’s at Pratt & Whitney (UTC) where he was mentored by Nino San and Oba San, Shingijustu Sensei’s of the Toyota Production System. Robert is a dynamic facilitator & teacher and has led countless improvements in small to large companies in both the Spanish & English language.

Measuring the Right Things

Scott Bliss – Breakout Speaker

In the context of safety, quality, delivery, and continuous improvement, how do you cascade KPIs from Tier 4 (site leadership) to Tier 1 (the production floor) to create a scoreboard that drives daily behaviors and helps your team win?

About Scott: Scott Bliss is the Senior Director of Operations at Padagis Minnesota with 40+ years of experience in manufacturing, operations, and continuous improvement. A long-time Manufacturers Alliance member, he helped lead Synovis (2011) and Innovize (2021) to Manufacturer of the Year awards. He holds engineering degrees from the University of Minnesota and the University of St. Thomas.