ATAC’s HANK CZARNECKI SPEAKING AT NATIONAL QUALITY CONFERENCE

           AUBURN – Hank Czarnecki, who leads the Lean continuous improvement instructor team for the Auburn Technical Assistance Center (ATAC) at AU’s College of Business, is a presenting speaker at the 2009 Lean Six Sigma Conference, March 2-3 in Phoenix.
            Czarnecki’s topic, “Utilizing a Lean Management System to Sustain a Lean Culture,” is among a series of noteworthy continuous improvement presentations slated for the nationally attended event, sponsored by the American Society for Quality.
            The 2009 event is the ASQ’s ninth conference focused on providing attendees with proven first-hand applications and best practices for applying continuous improvement to any process organization. Targeted participants include top executives and managers involved in manufacturing operations; quality control and assurance; transactional businesses; healthcare, service, financial and governmental organizations.
            Lean is an efficiency improvement system designed to minimize or eliminate waste and non-value-added activities that create up to 95 percent of the problems found in manufacturing and 80 percent of those found among service industry. Six Sigma is a statistical improvement methodology that can provide an even tighter focus to efficiency activities that can result in a 99.9 percent defect-free process. Used together, these two systems are among the most powerful management tools available for ensuring consistent quality, cost containment and highly effective customer service.
            Czarnecki’s talk presents the techniques of a Lean Management System, including leader standardized work, visual metrics, Gemba (at the source) walks, A3 process, idea system, accountability board and a daily accountability meeting. All are significant management tools among organizations striving to be Lean Enterprises.
            During Czarnecki’s 12 years of service to Alabama business and industry with ATAC, he has trained thousands of people in the principles of Lean Manufacturing, has facilitated more than 250 kaizen (continuous improvement) events, and has coached numerous companies through their Lean transformation.
             ATAC was established in 1976 and is an affiliate of the Alabama Technology Network and an Economic Development Administration University Center. As an arm of the Auburn University College of Business Outreach, ATAC provides business and technical assistance, customized training, and consultation in implementing value-added strategies to manufacturers and other businesses, not-for-profit organizations and government agencies in Alabama and the Southeast. 

CONTACT: Mitch Emmons, (334) 844-3881, emmonmb@auburn.edu.