Plant Tours - Wednesday, April 10

Before Leading Through Excellence officially kicks off the morning of Thursday, April 11, COE is hosting a round of optional plant tours at area operations on Wednesday, April 10. These tours provide an opportunity to get an up-close look at how organizations are applying principles of operational excellence in office, manufacturing, distribution and creative environments. All tours will take place simultaneously and will depart from the Blackwell Inn. Select the tour you plan to attend during summit registration. The tour fee is $25, which covers transportation and a boxed lunch. Seats are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Agenda - Wednesday, April 10, 2013

• Noon: Boxed lunches served at Blackwell Inn
• 1 p.m.: Tour buses depart from Blackwell to sites
• 4 p.m.: Buses depart tour sites to return
• 5:30 p.m.: Networking and cocktail reception at Blackwell Inn (optional)

Tour Options

Mills James

• Tour Emphasis: Operational excellence in creative spaces
• Capacity: 20 attendees
• Preview: The deepest roots of process improvement are found in the manufacturing sector, but its application in recent decades throughout the service industry proves the tools can be a game-changer anywhere. Take Mills James, an audiovisual and event staging company based in Columbus that has worked with COE to bring operational excellence to creative spaces. Join this tour for a look at how lean tools and other principles of process improvement drive real change to processes that begin inside the minds of those in your organization.

Port Columbus International Airport SOLD OUT

• Tour Emphasis: Operations management
• Capacity: 14 attendees
• Preview: Port Columbus, managed by the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, is in the midst of major changes and improvements aimed at improving travelers' experience and accommodating increased passenger levels. Join this tour for an up-close, operations-focused look at these upgrades, including the airport's new 10,000-foot runways and revamped taxiways. Pending approval and security clearance, the tour also will take attendees to other operational facilities at Port Columbus.

Boehringer Ingelheim Roxane Inc. SOLD OUT

• Tour Emphasis: Product flow
• Capacity: 20 attendees
• Preview: The pharmaceutical industry is constantly under considerable cost pressures causing many companies to rethink how we maintain our current customer base while staying competitive for future business opportunities.  For a closer look at a program  that accomplished these goals, join us for our Leading Through Excellence tour on April 10, 2013 at the Columbus campus of Boehringer Ingelheim Roxane, Inc., a Center for Operational Excellence member. BIRI has executed a remarkable operational and cultural transformation of people, product and equipment flow that has enhanced their capability to supply the right product at the right time to its customers.  Find out what transformational activities have driven the BIRI business to measureable success.

Cardinal Health Inc. SOLD OUT

• Tour Emphasis: Operational excellence in an office environment
• Capacity: 20 attendees
• Preview: Several years ago, leaders at Cardinal mounted an effort to drive lean transformation in the company’s network of distribution centers, which tops 200 worldwide. In 2010, that lean transformation began making its way into functional and transactional spaces at Cardinal. Join this tour to take an inside look at the company’s successes so far in areas ranging from information technology to contracts and pricing.

TS Trim SOLD OUT

• Tour Emphasis: Lean manufacturing
• Capacity: 15 attendees
• Preview: TS Trim Industries Inc. of Canal Winchester is a major Honda supplier that makes door panels, headliners and other interior automobile parts. The company also has executed a lean transformation that has brought visual management to the forefront, increased changeover efficiency and seamlessly integrated its project management process. Join the TS Trim tour for an inside look at a classic lean manufacturing operation.