Society of Manufacturing Engineers Chapter 248 publication on SME activities at Chapter and Technical Community levels

1. Also SME and
September 15, 2008 Chapter 248 at the
Calgary, Alberta
2008 GPS Global
Petroleum Show
SOCIETY OF MANUFACTURING ENGINEERS, SPOKANE, WASHINGTON CHAPTER 248
Future Issues:
Chris Wood,
TenX and the
First SME248
Lean Seminar
Professional Networking for
Manufacturing, Engineering,
Production, Business and Lean
Leaders...
SME Plant and Business tours are networking opportunities that demonstrate the power of
analogy. Their business may be different from yours, but there are important things you
.
may learn from what they do and how they do it, especially in a lean context .
SME248 Goes
to College, the
2nd Annual
Student Tech
Presentation
Competition
The Lean Journey at Kimball Office
Products, Post Falls, ID. Be there and
see it with SME Chapter 248 for another
in a series of SME Lean Benchmark
Tours—Wed., Sept. 17, 2008 at 6:00 PM Lean Deburring
with Katie at
Mackay Mfg.
Dale Carnegie,
John Dickson
and the Human
Side of Lean
EDITORS NOTE: for lean aficionados only, this docu-
ment has been formatted to an 11 x 17 or A3 dimension...

2. Things to look for on the
Kimball Office Lean Tour...
Horizontal collaborative webs (1). Jim
Christopher of Kimball’s Lean Promotion
Office shows heavy tooling on manual air
table. An internal employee work-team de-
MOO SHI E. Here Ken Lambie (Tooling manager)
vised a process that utilizes this equipment
shows John Dickson of SME248 how Kimball Office uses
replacing a process that made use of heavy
their Moonshine Process Lab to design and build custom
lift equipment. The replacement process is
machinery that will accommodate lean process thinking.
a simpler procedure with smoother continu-
Lean process machinery is often not available as an off-
the-shelf solution from machinery manufacturers….
BELOW: One of Moonshine’s finished products on the
floor designed to enhance continuous flow of components .
Horizontal collaborative webs (2). (Right and Below
Left) Many companies solicit suggestions for im-
provements from their employees. So does this one,
but it does it a little differently. Rather than forward-
ing the suggestion up the vertical chain for evaluation,
the idea is posted where it can be seen by all. This is
not a mistake. The company is deliberately and con-
sciously trying to develop a collaborative and cogni-
tive chain reaction. Even if an idea is not immediately
useful itself, it might be a stepping stone to one that
is...Why would you hide it?
5 S (Above and Below). A place for everything,
A Lean Supermarket? (Below) Here John Dickson and and everything in its place....
Jim Christopher discuss a new supermarket installation. In
lean terms a supermarket is a temporary and short term
holding area designed to facilitate component pull and con-
tinuous flow, notice how the shelving is designed to push
components forward by gravity feed with rollers and slanted
shelving
SME 248’s Lean Tour and Study Mission at Kimball Office, and the power of analogy. Unless otherwise indicated, editorial
SME and SME Chapters are renown for sponsoring plant tours. The reason for this is that it is an excellent way to understand how other business and manu-
and pictorial content in this publica-
facturing activity is organized, and it presents a learning opportunity for both attendees and the hosts. Current SME248 Executive Committee member John Dickson
tion was provided by SME248 mem-
took full advantage of this learning opportunity when a senior manager at Boeing’s Phantom Works in Seattle. During his tenure there, he organized or arranged for
ber and contributing editor Dave
over three hundred plant tours for various business and industry groups. While the tour groups undoubtedly learned much from the experience, John was able to use the
Davidson.
input from the visiting tour groups to help Boeing gain perspective and insight for its own lean transformation efforts. SME248 member Chris Wood, founder of Spo-
kane’s TenX Ventures and TenX Strategies has organized extended tours overseas for Fortune 500 companies he refers to as “study missions”. While this tour is not as
Questions, comments, opinions, sug-
extensive as the multi-week study missions that Chris organized, we will ask tour attendees to fill out a brief question and answer form that will assist them in organiz-
gestions as well as editorial submis-
ing their thoughts for the benefit of both their organization and the host: Kimball Office.
sions should be sent directly to:
The Power of Analogy. Plant Tours and Study Missions can produce unexpected solution sets to problems. One of the foremost examples of this is when the Chief
ddavidson@deburringsolutions.com
Engineer at Toyota, Taiichi Ohno (and one of the founding fathers of Lean) visited Ford’s Rouge River assembly plant near Detroit, MI. in the early 1950’s Taiichi
was involved in a “study mission” and over the course of several months observed much of Ford’s methods. At the time, the Ford Rouge River plant was assembling
RSVP’s and tour reservation and
8000 automobiles per day, Toyota was assembling a total of 2500 per year and apparently Ford did not really see them as much of a threat. What Taiichi Ohno learned
information requests should be sent
while in America transformed Toyota into an industrial and economic juggernaut. The only thing is...he didn’t learn it from Ford. While in America, Taiichi had the
to: bladd@advanced-input.com
opportunity to visit a supermarket, a “Piggly Wiggly” supermarket as the story goes, and he was transfixed by what he saw there. (In the early 1950’s supermarkets
_____________________________
were a rarity in Japan). “Customer pull”, “continuous flow” and “just-in-time” were all, at least to a degree, analogies Taiichi drew from his supermarket experience
and implemented at Toyota. Allowing the customers to “pull” product off the shelves and let that be the determinant of how much material was ordered and restocked,
“A native talent for perceiving analo-
and at what speed was foundational, and became one of the underlying premises behind the Toyota Production System (TPS) or as we call it in America — Lean.
gies is … the leading fact in genius of
The next time you are tempted to think you have nothing to learn from the way other businesses are run, reflect for a few moments. Think about Taiichi Ohno,
every order”. William James, — The
think about Piggly Wiggly supermarkets, and then… think about the Toyota Motor Corporation, the most imitated, the most studied, the most copied, and the most
Principles of Psychology
emulated business organization in the world... and you may then have some understanding of the power of analogy. □

3. SME Chapter 248 Member Profile — Fred Cousins, Spokane Valley, Washington
QA &
Q Do you need to be an engi-
neer or have an engineer-
ing degree to belong to
SME?
A NO. SME membership is
open to anyone with an in-
Fred comes to SME by way of Bank of America. He has a very strongly developed set of visual and computer related communication skill sets,
terest in manufacturing,
and is nothing if not resourceful. He has used his knowledge in audio/visual and digital file composition to make video of SME tours available
engineering, production or
on the web for members who were unable to attend personally. Shown above is Fred using a Fig Rig , a video camera stabilization device
designed by Film director Mike Riggs. The device makes it possible to utilize smaller video cameras with picture stability that rivals that of lean business methods or-
much larger and more expensive “steadicams”. Fred built the device himself from simple PVC pipe, to make tour video available to SME. processes.
Q Is SME active in Washington
Help Wanted, Help Needed... by Doug McGuire, 2008 SME 248 Chapter Chair. State?
EDITOR’S OTE: Earlier this year, SME Chapter 248 members Doug McGuire, Chris Wood and Dave Davidson had the opportunity to visit
A Yes it is. The following
Wheeler Industries in Spokane, WA. They interviewed Dave Wheeler about Wheeler’s budding workforce education and development program.
groups are part of the SME
Although the national news media constantly decries the loss of manufacturing jobs from America — Spokane and many other areas of the country
are faced now with a very different kind of problem. There is a growing and troubling lack of the skilled and trained workforce required to main- network in Washington:
tain the country’s industrial infrastructure. As older (baby boomer) workers retire, the situation is deteriorating at an accelerating and alarming
pace. Part of the problem lies with an educational culture in which the conventional wisdom has directed students to develop “white collar” Senior Chapters:
skills as a way to maintain economic quality of life. Conventional wisdom is currently being turned on its head. Along with the blue collar short-
age, there seems to be something of a white collar oversupply. In the Spokane area, workers who have skills and experience in manufacturing dis- Seattle No. 39
ciplines can not only be expected to be paid more than their counterparts in service oriented businesses, but in many cases, twice as much, and Randy Lander
more. In other areas of the country the differences are even more striking. In Connecticut, some C C machinery operators can expect to start at (425) 234-2211
$60,000.00 per year. Those with heavy equipment operation skills in the Tar Sand Oil Field areas north of Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta have a randy.lander@boeing.com
reasonable expectation of being offered $100,000.00 per year, sometimes more (according to the Wall Street Journal). This growing problem is
causing many within industry to rethink traditional sourcing and training of their workforce. A revival of TWI training methods may be at hand. Spokane No. 248
(TWI training was developed and utilized by the US Government during World War II to train and develop workforce skills for the war effort. This Doug McGuire
was desparately needed by the untrained and uneducated industrial workforce to generate the unprecedented amount of industrial production that (509) 590-3053
was required. Much of what we know about continuous improvement and the power of horizontal collaborative workgroups was developed by the Douglas.mcguire@gmail.com
TWI program. (An excellent source of TWI discussion and _______________________
many of the original source documents printed by the US Gov-
ernment Printing Office for it, is found in an invaluable collec-
Student Chapters
tion to be found on the SME Chapter 204 Burlington, Vermont
Eastern Washington University
website.) Doug McGuire was inspired to write the piece below S202
which was also reprinted and published on www.sme.org, the (Sponsor: Chapter 248)
national SME website. All of this has not gone unnoticed at Jeffrey Donnerberg
SME Headquarters in Dearborn, MI. Recently a new Techni- Eastern Washington University
cal Group was formed to concentrate on workforce develop- Engineering Technology/MMD
101 Cheney Hall
ment. The SME Manufacturing Education Foundation (MEF)
Cheney, WA 99004
is refocusing its programs to concentrate on capturing the
jeffrey.donnerberg@mail.ewu.edu
imagination of younger students, in order to better funnel them
(509) 359-7026
into career path plans that will encourage them to acquire
manufacturing, machining, and engineering skills. □ Edmonds Community College
_____________________________________________ S357
Help Wanted: As we have toured various plants recently, (Sponsor: Chapter 039)
there is a common theme is being heard throughout our manu- Gene Fusch, PhD
facturing community. Many businesses are experiencing diffi- Edmonds Community College
20000 68th Avenue West
culty in getting and retaining qualified employees to fill th
Lynnwood, WA 98036
needs of local businesses in engineering, machining and pro-
(425) 640-1145
duction. As baby boomers get older and retire, the manufactur-
(425) 640-1960 fax
Dave Wheeler from Wheeler Industries explains to Chris Wood, an SME Chapter ing community is left with a dwindling pool of skilled workers
gene.fusch@edcc.edu
248 Senior Member, how the skilled machinist labor shortage in the orthwest to fill the needs of its operations. A 2006 National Association
has impacted the operations at Wheeler Industries. The company has undertaken of Manufacturing study found that more than 80 percent of
Washington State University S333
an innovative approach to the problem. It has opened its own night school. It manufacturers reported a moderate to serious shortage of job (Sponsor: Chapter 63)
utilizes its own skilled and experienced employees to provide instruction to high applicants. Moreover, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Dave Kim, PhD
school students who are potential employment candidates in an evening class set- that the U.S. will face an overall skilled worker shortage of 8 Washington State University -
ting. It does this in cooperation with the local school system. Currently no high million by 2010 and up to 14 million by 2020. This is even true Vancouver
school in the Greater Spokane, WA area provides industrial arts courses that 14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave.
when jobs lost to foreign competition are taken into account.
teach basic machining skills. Despite the shortage many of the community col- Vancouver, WA 98686
What are we to do? My employer, MacKay Manufactur-
leges have machining and manufacturing programs that are still contracting. (360) 546-9081
ing, has partnered with SCC (Spokane Community College)
(360) 546-9438 fax
and NIC (North Idaho College) for part time students out of
kimd@vancouver.wsu.edu
their Metal Trades programs. They have also promoted quali-
fied internal employees to machine operator positions with University of Washington S175
training provided. MacKay has also redirected its sales force to (Sponsor: Chapter 039)
recruiting and promoting the Inland Northwest as a great place Wei Li
to live. This has generated great interest out of Arizona, Ore- PO Box 352600
gon, California and other states. Another local company, 205 Mechanical Engineering
Seattle, WA 98195
Wheeler Industries, has started basic machine shop training
(206) 543-5339
with the support of another local business, Bixby Machine Tool
(206) 685-8047 fax
Supply. They are providing job specific machine shop training
WEIWLI@U.WASHINGTON.EDU
on mill and lathe operartions. Dave Wheeler approached local
high schools and was well received and now has a waiting list
Western Washington University
for the training. Training is being provided by machinists em- S125
ployed by Wheeler Industries at their shop three days a week. (Sponsor: Chapter 039)
Dave is still working out the details and we will have a plant Eric McKell
tour to see their training when it has been fully impemented. Western Washington University
Dept. of Engineering Tech.
What are you doing at your business? This is a manu-
MS 9086
facturing community wide problem and it is my belief that we
516 High St, ET 206
have a stigma that we have to overcome about blue collar jobs.
Bellingham, WA 98226
We, as a business community, need to be doing a much better
(360) 650-7931
Curriculum materials and work benches for hands on training. Classes at job in salesmanship and advertising to attract the youth of to-
(360) 650-4847 fax
Wheeler Industries will held on the shop floor, close by the machines the students day to our workforce. We need to go to the schools to seek out
deburringsolutions.com ekmckell@cc.wwu.edu
will have for their use. This will make for a very abbreviated journey from theory potential applicants and promote the benefits of our manufac-
1303 W. York Ave , Spokane, WA 99205
to practice. Learning by doing will be the rule here, rather than the exception. turing 509 236 1096 | Fax: | beatFree: bushes! — Doug McGuire □
Phone: jobs. We need to Toll the

4. SME ews and Events of interest to Pacific For more information, please visit:
http://www.sme248.org/
orthwest SME members and other techni- http://www.sme.org
SOCIETY OF MANUFACTURING ENGINEERS,
cal, engineering, production, and lean busi- Chapter 248 [2008 Chair: Doug McGuire, Douglas.McGuire@gmail.com]
P. O. Box 141413
ness process professionals... Spokane, Washington 99214-1413
Seattle SME Chapter 039 establishing
Type Subheading Here.
endowed scholarship fund in the name
This is an example of
of Edward F. Rossman, PhD.
paragraph text. You can
delete it and enter copy
Editor’s ote: Both the Seattle SME Chapter and the SME ational
of your choice. This is an
Manufacturing Education Foundation are involved in an effort to en
example of paragraph
dow a scholarship fund in Dr. Rossman’s name. When the endowment
text. You can delete it
is funded it will make a scholarship award annually to a manufacturing
and enter copy of your
engineering student in Washington State. For more information or to
choice. This is an exam-
contribute contact the current SME Seattle Chapter chair, Tim Bond at tbond@boeing.com
Event Information
ple of paragraph text.
I knew Ed both professionally and socially for a number of years. He was an extraordinary individual, and
You can delete it and
much beloved by many at Boeing and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. I first met Ed at the SME Inter-
Lean to Green Manufacturing
enter copy of your national Machining and Grinding Conference at Cincinnati, OH back in 1993. As the years progressed I was
Doubletree Hotel & Executiveexam-
choice. This is an Meeting Center to enjoy his and his wife Iolanda’s hospitality many times. I had the opportunity to collaborate with him on
Portland ORple of paragraph text.
USA
possible procedures for automating edge and surface finish processes for the very large titanium airframe
October 27 - October 29, 2008
You can delete it and structures that were his specialty. Ed was an outstanding troubleshooter and problem-solver, but he will proba-
enter copy of your bly be most remembered for his human qualities. During his career he was a mentor and even a father-figure
choice.
Description to colleagues far too numerous to count. I count myself not only fortunate, but privileged to be in their number.
The biographical sketch below appeared on the national SME website at the time of his passing. □
This is an example of
Lean to Green ManufacturingYou can
paragraph text. is an event designed to provide
AUBURN, WASH., October 7, 2007 – Edward F. Rossman, PhD, passed away on October 7, 2007, in Auburn,
manufacturers knowledge enter copyturn lean practices into green
delete it and on how to
Wash., at the age of 72. Dr. Rossman was born April 1, 1935, in Highland Park, Mich. He was an associate
results. Hearof your choice. This is are embracing lean principles to
how other companies an
technical fellow with The Boeing Co., with 22 years of service. Known to his friends and colleagues as quot;Dr.
eliminate waste in their processes, save money and become more
example of paragraph Titanium,quot; he was instrumental in the development of titanium alloys within Boeing and at suppliers across the
competitive. text. You can delete it
country. A published author, he excelled in his endeavor to share knowledge. His passion for manufacturing
and enter copy of your and desire to help others never weakened.
Edward Rossman had been an active SME member for more than two decades. Over the last three years,
choice. This is an exam-
even while extremely ill, he maintained his involvement in the Machining & Material Removal Community,
ple of paragraph text.
serving as a community advisor. In addition to his role as a community advisor, he was also involved in several
You can delete it and
other SME Technical Communities and recruited more than 50 new SME members. As one SME staff member
enter copy of your stated, “His sincere interest in our lives and his ability to tell an effective story pertinent to any existing situa-
choice. This is an exam- tion made him unique in my opinion. His passion for manufacturing and his desire to help never weakened,
ple of paragraph text. even during the most physically demanding times when he was in poor health. He took the time to listen and
offer suggestions, which often allowed you to develop your own understanding of the problem.”
You can delete it and
In 2004, Dr. Rossman was awarded an Industry Outstanding Contribution Award by Hanita Cutting Tools.
enter copy of your
Event Information In 2005, he received the Outstanding Member Award from SME. Dr. Rossman is survived by his wife,
choice.
Iolanda, with whom he celebrated 48 years of marriage. He was a wonderful father to Teresa, Mark, Thomas,
Bernadette, Mary Kay and William, and a loving grandfather to 11 grandchildren. □
FABTECH International & AWS Welding Show 2008
Las Vegas Convention Center
Date SME Chapter 248 Plant Tours or Technical Events
Las Vegas NV USA
NOTE: Event Schedules and Venues are preliminary and subject to change
October 6 - October 8, 2008
RSVP’s or requests for information should be sent to bladd@advanced-input.com
Sept. 17, 2008 6:00 PM Plant Tour: Kimball Office Products, Post Falls, Idaho — Lean Benchmark Tour
Description
Oct. 14/16, 2008 5:30 PM Heat Treating Fundamentals Short Course — Dan Tabish, Instructor
The FABTECH International & AWS Welding Show is the largest Oct 15, 2008 6:00PM Plant Tour: Wheelabrator Waste to Energy Facility — Technical Tour
event in North America dedicated to showcasing a full spectrum of
Nov 19, 2008 6:00 PM Plant Tour: Spokane Industries, Spokane Industrial Park, Technical Tour
metal forming, fabricating, stamping, tube & pipe, and welding
equipment and technology. The event brings together thousands of
Dec 17, 2008 6:00 PM End of Year Banquet, New Officer Installation, Venue: T/B/D
buyers and sellers from around the world to exchange products and
services, problem-solve, network with colleagues and share best During the Lean Seminar sponsored by SME Chapter
practices. Make plans now to exhibit at or attend the 2008 FAB-
248 at Gonzaga University earlier this year, instruc-
TECH International & AWS Welding Show in Las Vegas, Nevada,
tors Chris Wood and Dave Ross of TenX Ventures
the world's number one trade show destination!
recommended two books they considered founda-
tional to understanding lean thinking. One by Henry
Ford and the other by Taiichi Ohno. I took their ad-
SME CHAPTER 248 Executive Committee Meeting Dates: 6:00
AM—7:30AM, LOCATIO : Donna’s Diner, 15112 E Sprague Ave, vice, and read both. Read the Taiichi Ohno volume
Spokane Valley - (509) 893-8976
first, then the Ford to understaned the evolution from
one to the other, both are in print. (Ed. )
Wednesday Sept. 3, 2008 6:00 AM—7:30 AM
Wednesday Oct.. 1, 2008 6:00 AM—7:30 AM
1. Ohno, Taiichi, The Toyota Production System — Beyond Large Scale Production
(Cambridge, MA: Productivity Press) 1988 English Translation , 133 pp
Wednesday ov. 5, 2008 6:00 AM—7:30 AM
2. Ford, Henry, Today and Tomorrow, (Portland, OR: Productivity Press , 1988 Re
Wednesday Dec. 3, 2008 6:00 AM—7:30 AM
printed edition, 286 pp
2008 SME Chapter 248 ame Company Phone E-Mail
Contacts
Doug McGuire MacKay Manufacturing (509)590-5193 douglas.mcguire@gmail.com
Chair
John Dickson Berg Integrated Systems (208) 686-0247 jdickson@bergco.com
Chair-Elect
Dave Davidson Deburringsolutions.com (509) 230-6821 ddavidson@deburringsolutions.com
Vice Chair
Bob Ladd Advanced Input Systems (208) 765-8000 bladd@advanced-input.com
Treasurer
ext. 1261
Tony Wisniewski Kim Hotstart Mfg. Co. twisniewski@kimhotstart.com
Secretary
Matt Feider FLSmidth RAHCO (509) 464-7480 matt.feider@flsmitdh.com
Webmaster
Dan Tabish Inland NW Metallurgical Services (509) 922-7663 dan@inlandmet.com
ewsletter/
Announcements
Chris Wood TenX Ventures LLC (509) 220-4990 chris@tenxv.com
Lean Education
Advisor
Phil Appel Gonzaga University (509) 323-3547 appel@gonzaga.edu
GU Liaison
Jeff Donnerberg Eastern Washington University jeffrey.donnerberg@mail.ewu.edu
EWU Liaison