User Groups
A User Group is a shared learning experience among a group of five to ten companies. These companies commit to an organized, disciplined process of collective learning over an extended period of time, typically a minimum of one year. Members commit to meeting every two to four weeks for two to four hours to insure continual motivation and enhance discipline for improvement. The learning is usually focused around a specific topic and practical applications of new approaches. Joining a User Group allows companies to accelerate improvement efforts through a collaborative learning/sharing process. Companies can learn from each other and potentially avoid some of the mistakes that might otherwise be made. The User Group provides a
way to keep a company’s improvement efforts on track through regular reinforcement. User Groups provide the focus that at times is difficult to maintain in the hectic and competitive business environment.
Each User Group is guided by a professional facilitator(s) who possesses experience and knowledge in the content area of the group. All members of a User Group pay an annual fee to participate. The cost ranges from $1,000 up to $10,000 per company per year. The average cost is approximately $1,500. This cost depends on the structure of the User Group, the amount of individual consultation service provided and the topic to be covered.
USER GROUPS AVAILABLE FOR REGISTRATION INCLUDE:
This user group will focus on the role of the human resources infrastructure on organizational results. Participants will engage in a number of learning and exploration techniques to enhance their understanding and company’s implementation of effective procedures and policies in areas such as orientation and new hire training, performance review systems and compensation strategies.
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This user group is designed to align and motivate management and other non-production personnel to eliminate waste in the office/support processes through understanding and implementing lean systems and principles. The focus will be to teach participants how to reduce the lead-time and associated costs for various administrative, engineering and manufacturing processes such as Quoting, Purchasing, Design & Prototype and Tooling Management to generate improvement opportunities in data entry, redundant tasks, motion & transportation of information / material, and administrative labor hours. Also included will be a review of basic problem solving techniques and how they relate to lean and continuous improvement, as well as learn techniques for improving creativity and solving difficult, systemic problems.
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Many small and medium sized companies that have a Quality Management System (QMS) do not feel it has added any benefit to their company. This user group will help transform a QMS into a driver of “lean” transformation in an organization to get the results desired --identification and elimination of waste resulting in the potential for decreased per “unit” cost and increased capacity, which can result in added revenue with the same resources. Each company will revise their QMS to integrate basic lean principles and establish their process for continuous improvement events/projects. The CI process will be developed by each company by actually doing a CI project of their choice.
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Want to jump start your lean transformation efforts? Need to accelerate your improvements and systematize your process to insure success? This user group will take an intense journey focused on giving companies the knowledge and tools necessary to structure their lean transformation around a solid set of criteria. At its conclusion, participants will be prepared to apply for the Michigan Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing (optional).
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Members of this user group participate in lectures, tours and open discussion on topics such as continuous improvement methods, quality systems requirements, leadership, team building, performance metrics, supply chain management, best practices and technology. Each company will develop a peer network and sounding board to discuss new ideas, techniques and improvement opportunities.
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This user group includes learning about and implementing continuous improvement tools and techniques that will enhance current purchasing practices. Developing effective benchmarking tools to measure results is an important part of the work plan.
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This user group offers an intellectual exploration and exchange by participating members as well as discussions that offer a unique learning experience that can be applied to strategic and business decisions. Each company is engaged in sharing best practices and opportunities for improvement in sensor technology, usages, application and problem solving.
This user group provides the tools supervisors and lead people utilize to develop strategies and address issues in their work environment. Through shared learning with companies facing similar challenges, members develop and implement strategies for improved decision making and process improvement.
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This user group will provide participants the opportunity to explore deployment strategies of successful companies in this geographic area who are using Six Sigma and to improve their personal skills that apply to Continuous Improvement activities. The Six Sigma User Group will focus on discovering and developing the most successful methods for implementing and maintaining an organization’s Continuous Improvement process. This will be accomplished through Six Sigma training, plant tours, discussion with quality professional peers and identification of Best Practices being used by the User Group participants.
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This is an action and results focused user group. Members of this user group will be provided training on systematic leadership (this includes strategic planning, policy deployment and follow through, balanced scorecard, Hoshin planning techniques and individual performance management techniques), and expected to implement plans to achieve their organization’s strategic objectives. Participants will create & deploy a focused work plan and measure results using the knowledge, techniques, tools and technology gained during participation in this user group.
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This user group provides the participant with a practical understanding of how to be a more effective supervisor and lead people to improved performance. The fundamentals of supervision and leadership are put into practical terms, applications and tools to provide the participant a well-rounded understanding of how and when to use the key tools and techniques. Special consideration is given to goal setting and performance management, or “how to help others succeed”.
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Customers, investors and other corporate stakeholders are increasing their demands for “green or environmentally sustainable” products and services from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). If you are an OEM or one of their suppliers, you can expect increased pressure for green attributes in your products. This User Group will provide members a roadmap to help identify and develop innovative products and processes through knowledge of emerging sustainable manufacturing technologies and techniques.
The Sustainable Manufacturing User Group will help you answer hard questions that your customers may never have asked of you before, like:
- What is an environmentally safe product?
- What is the carbon-footprint of your product?
- What is the energy intensity of your product?
- Does your product contain substances that are harmful to human or ecosystem health?
- Do you know the material efficiency of your process?
- Does you company have a formal social responsibility program in place?
This user group will provide tools and processes for examining current business practices through an expanded lens. All systems are perfectly designed for the results they get. This User Group will offer a methodology for improvement of organizational results. Teams of three to five leaders from an organization will learn systems principles; identify internal roadblocks to innovation and change; and develop a strategic plan for change.
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This user group engages participants in learning opportunities around topics such as engineering methods and software, sensor application, automation strategy and tactical planning and engineering and maintenance structure. Targeted participants include sensor and automation technicians, controls and maintenance engineers, automation managers and developers and tooling specialists.
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