EMC Kitchener-Waterloo/Cambridge Consortium
Cambridge/KW EMC event featuring Professional Engineers Ontario has a great turnout
A PEO representative joined EMC members at Kraus Flooring last week to answer questions about how the repeal of the industrial exception will affect manufacturers.
EMC members joined Marisa Sterling, Industrial Exception Lead, from Professional Engineers Ontario to hear more about the changes to the Professional Engineers Act that will soon require a Professional Engineer to review engineering work associated with machinery or equipment that produces products for the manufacturer for the use in their manufacturing facilities. We learned this is a requirement in all other provinces in Canada
What is engineering work? The Professional Engineers Act…
Change, workplace culture and Communication were the topics of the Human Resources Session at Kitchener SIG
During this SIG the group talked about workplace culture and adapting to change.
Some of the questions we discussed included:
- What are the key characteristics that are desirable for organizations to be adaptive and resilient?
- How flexible is your company when it comes to new approaches, roles, and ways of getting work done?
- How does HR fit in creating the Culture?
- How open is management to employees' input and influence?
- How and where does communication flow (or not)?
- What is the…
Septimatech Hosts a SIG Event Examining the Lean Office and Project Management
Septimatech Group Inc used member feedback to gather ideas to improve their own systems at this Continuous Improvement and Project Management session.
Septimatech Group Inc. is a technology-driven service company to the global packaging industry. From their Waterloo facility they provide a full range of quick change container handling enhancement components and systems to the pharmaceutical, food and beverage industries.
Septimatech has driven Lean into their products' design and into their production processes but were looking for ideas on how to continue this journey into the office area.
Some ideas for leaning the office were:
- O…
Johnsonite Tour Highlights Their Journey to World Class Manufacturing
Johnsonite invited EMC members to see their progress towards achieving World Class Manufacturing.
Johnsonite's 30,000 sq.ft. Waterloo facility was opened in 1984. In 2004, Tarkett purchased the vinyl and rubber wallbase manufacturer. They currently manufacturer 48% of all the wallbase sold in North America with their 68 employees.
The Johnsonite focus is "meeting our customers' needs". Two years ago they started their journey towards World Class Manufacturing which requires meeting their customers needs with the least cost and zero waste. It was remarkable to see what they had…
On October 10th, Babcock & Wilcox provided the Kitchener/Waterloo/Cambridge Consortium with and overview of their best practices for managing contractors, workplace inspections and safety communications.
Let me start off by thanking our hosts at Babcock & Wilcox for a terrific overview of their contractor management, workplace inspections and safety communication systems. It was also interesting to see inside their facility and the scale of the projects they work on.
We started by learning about how they handle their contractors which included a pre-award process, contractor orientation and annual contractor evaluation. I've attached the link to the documents they use in each of these…
Four different topics and four great discussions took place covering: Attendance Management, Project Management, New Product Launch, and Financing.
We had a great day of networking and discussions at Ontario Drive and Gear's vehicle division in New Hamburg.
Founded in 1962, Ontario Drive and Gear Limited operates from a 121,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility where they design and manufacture their Argo, Titan and Centaur. They are the world leader in amphibious vehicles.
During our Sr. Manager's event we discussed the new product launch of the Titan. This product was just launched in August and is being well received in the market. …
Employee Engagement from an Employee Survey and Continuous Improvement Perspective
Two great events focusing on different aspects of employee engagement.
We mixed things up a bit for our June meeting because we had a very successful and informative joint event for our Sr. Manager's with Ernst Young and the KW Chamber. We had 2 SIG events this month as well, the first focused on Employee Engagement in Continuous Improvement.
The group discussed how Companies that systematically engage their people in eliminating waste, improving productivity and reducing costs are finding that they are more competitive and able to reap immediate financial and…
Broda Seating was our fantastic host for a great day of networking! They provided us with great tours and insight into their business and also let us help them work on some of their challenges on their plant floor.
Sr. Manager's
During our Sr. Manager's event, Broda Seating discussed their business strategy, challenges and future and also took us on a tour of their fantastic factory. Broda seating is a mobile seat manufacturer whose product is primarily used in the long-term care market. They sell through an independent distribution system and have 73 employees. The unique aspect of their business is that every chair is different and their quick turnaround/delivery is incredible (at less than 14 days). …
Great day of Best Practice sharing and Networking at KEI Inc (Kuntz) in Kitchener
Over 80 people across 4 events networked, best practiced, and shared at KEI inc. about topics as varied as how to manage changes to your production volume, cross training and maintaining a health and safety culture.
Senior Manager was our first event of the day and the team at KEI provided some background on the company, including the fact that it has been family-owned and operated since 1948 and currently has 400 non-unionized employees. Kuntz prides itself on being 'quality obsessed' and provides premium plated products to a variety of industries. They believe the key to their success is in their hard working employees who take pride in their work.
Continuous improvement (CI) was the second focus of…
Ontario Drive and Gear is celebrating its 50th year in business in 2012. They are proud of their roots in the community and are a great example of successful manufacturing in Ontario.
Our day started with our Sr. Manager's group where we discussed the challenges of growth within an organization. One of the keys to their growth was setting the foundations for success including investing over $10 million in equipment over the last 10 years.
ODG - Gear division is a high mix, low volume producer (with lot sizes between 1 and 50000 pieces). These parts service their sister facility - Argo as well as many customers in the agricultural, off-highway, aerospace and industrial…
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