The Maryland World Class Consortia MWCC News Blog

Lean Leadership workshop re-scheduled for December 3

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 10:12:23 GMT

The MWCC has re-scheduled its Lean Leadership workshop with special presented Shawn Wolf for Friday, December 3.

An MWCC Board member, Mr. Wolf will offer this one-day workshop about effective lean leadership Novermber 10 at EDCO in Frederick, MD. Mr. Wolf is the President of Wright Manufacturing and recently completed doctoral studies in Strategic Leadership.

In his presentation, Mr. Wolf will explore effective leadership practices, behaviors and models. He will also delve into the challenges present when implementing Eastern systems in organizations made up of Western thinkers.

For more information and to register for this event, visit this event's page on the MWCC event calendar.

AME offering conference workshops at rock-bottom prices!

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 10:37:21 GMT

AME has announced it will offer workshops to those not registered to attend its 2010 conference in Baltimore! You will never see AME workshop prices this low - $250.00 for half-day and $400.00 for full-day sessions. Registration is available online.

New Leadership Skills & Style Development Program scheduled!

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 20:49:19 GMT

The MWCC has scheduled the Leadership Skills & Style Development (LSSD) Program for December 7-10, 2010. Kelly Petrock of The LEAD Institute will present this four-day course for leaders of all levels.

LSSD is practical, applied and focused on fundamental leadership blocking and tackling where it makes a difference everyday: in the trenches! This is a great leadership program for front-line leaders, mid-level leaders (supervisors, team leaders, managers, etc), area managers and function managers. The program will address critical leadership concepts, tools, skills and behaviors.

More info and registration is available on our website!

Lean Offices and Services webinar rescheduled!

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 07:35:23 GMT

The MWCC has rescheduled its Lean Offices and Services webinar for Monday, November 8! If you missed out on registration before, you now have more time to sign up!

This webinar will review how lean can be applied to office and service environments. You will learn how standard work, value stream management, flow, pull and visual management can all be applied to provide significant results in improved customer service and overall performance.

Director's recap from the Northeast Shingo Prize Conference

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 20:14:13 GMT

On Tuesday, 19 October, MWCC Director Jeff Fuchs presented at the Northeast Shingo Prize Conference. For an audience of about 250 people, Jeff presented on the topic of Lean for Personal Time Management. Many people followed up with questions and positive feedback.

Jeff described how he hit a time crunch in 2008, trying to balance the demands of exciting new consulting projects, a new baby daughter, and the responsibilities as Director of the MWCC.

“I hit the wall,” Jeff recalls, “because of the influx of new members, and especially the loss of state grant support, which demanded a new business plan and a lot of hard work.”

Jeff described how he developed new time management methods based on lean principles and tools.

“These are techniques that work for anybody struggling to get the most out of their time each day. It was very gratifying to get such strong positive feedback at the end of the presentation. I know the approach I described will help a lot of people juggle their busy lives and cope with the many demands they must meet each day.”

Jeff plans to develop his presentation into a webinar or workshop exclusively for MWCC members. Watch for it in 2011.

The MWCC has free money for you!

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 12:38:23 GMT

Lean training funds are now available for a limited time for Consortia member companies!
A $129,000 grant facility has been created exclusively for MWCC members and their affiliate organizations. This funding is a one-time opportunity for grant support for lean training and implementation. You do not want to miss out on this opportunity! For more details, grant criteria and information about how to apply for this special opportunity, please read about the MWCC's Available Grants.

New stories in the MWCC news feed

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 21:17:08 GMT

We have published a new batch of stories to the MWCC news feed - take a look to read up on what is happening in the world of lean! Please feel free to post suggestions for articles to include in future news feed updates.

New workshop on lean leadership

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 10:49:29 GMT

MWCC Board member Shawn Wolf will offer a one-day workshop about effective lean leadership Novermber 10 at EDCO in Frederick, MD. Shawn is the President of Wright Manufacturing and recently completed doctoral studies in Strategic Leadership.

In his presentation, Shawn will explore effective leadership practices, behaviors and models. He will also delve into the challenges present when implementing Eastern systems in organizations made up of Western thinkers.

For more information and to register for this event, visit this event's page on the MWCC event calendar.

New webinar about applying lean to administrative processes

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 08:43:05 GMT

The MWCC will offer a new webinar October 22 about extending lean to offices and services. We were able to secure lean consultant Drew Locher to present this session. Drew is an expert in applying lean to administrative processes - he has published several books on the topic, one of which won a Shingo Prize.

This webinar will review how lean can be applied to office and service environments. Learn how standard work, value stream management, flow, pull and visual management can all be applied to provide significant results in improved customer service and overall performance. Drew will provide time for a Q&A session at the end, allowing participants to dive into any questions specific to their organization.

Visit the event's information page for more details or to register for this webinar.

Nominate an outstanding member of the MWCC community!

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 12:16:12 GMT

The MWCC is now accepting nominations for the awards we will presented at our annual dinner on December 1. This year we will recognize an outstanding MWCC member company, lean leader and volunteer of the year. Please download the nomination forms in order to submit your suggestions for these honors. Submissions are due in early November, so don't delay!

Accessing the Members-Only Section of the MWCC Website

Jeff Fuchs — Tue, 26 May 2009 14:14:56 GMT

The Members-Only section of the MWCC website is for members of MWCC member companies only. It includes a discussion forum, member directory, and access to members-only content, including articles, web links, and MWCC documents.

MWCC Members: To access the Members-Only Section, select "Online Application" under the "Join Now" menu selection at left. Select "Member of MWCC Member Company", hit the "Next" button, and follow the prompts.

To ensure that only MWCC members have access, all applications will be reviewed for approval. We apologize for the delay. Because we match your email address to that of your company website, personal email addresses cannot be used to create accounts with access to the Members-Only Section.

In your member profile, be sure to choose one or more groups if you would like to network with other MWCC members who share your specific interests in lean and World Class business performance.

Email me if you have any problems.

MWCC Launches New Website

Jeff Fuchs — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 10:04:56 GMT

The Maryland World Class Consortia launches its new website this week.

Members, you spoke, and we listened! You wanted better access to news and information, and easier, more hassle-free signups for events.

On the administrative side, the new website allows us to be more responsive, allow new members an easier process for signing themselves up as Consortia members, operate the website at lower overhead costs, and it dramatically streamlines our back office functions for scheduling training events, managing payments, and reconciling financial operations.

Over the coming weeks, we will complete the new website's rollout. We will fill in the blanks and add descriptions for all our service offerings and post more content you can use.

Please explore all areas of the website. We hope you enjoy the new feel and functionality. Please send us any bug reports or suggestions for improvement.

As usual, thanks for your continued support of the MWCC!