ASQ Lean and Six Sigma Conference focuses on customer satisfaction

RP news wires

Organizations know the key to survival is maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction, because keeping customers is much easier than earning new ones. Those organizations also know that using lean and Six Sigma helps them to stay fiscally competitive. But now the task is combining financial stability and increased customer satisfaction. The quality community will have an opportunity to learn just that at ASQ’s 2011 Lean and Six Sigma Conference.

The 2011 Lean and Six Sigma Conference will be held February 28 to March 1 in Phoenix, Ariz., at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort. Session topics include: Six Sigma for Crisis Management; Attack and Relieve Your Healthcare Pain; White Collar Lean: Kaizen Events for the Office; How to Provide Value More Quickly to Your Customers; Gauging Readiness for Lean; and Growing Six Sigma Without Sacrificing Requirements. The full program and session descriptions can be found at http://asq.org/conferences/six-sigma/.

Keynote Speakers

Richard Sheridan, Menlo Innovations
After only two years in business, Rich Sheridan, CEO of Menlo Innovations, became the Forbes "Hire Yourself" cover story for all those choosing entrepreneurship over unemployment. The next year, it was a Wall Street Journal article on the unique office Menlo uses for software design and development. Within six years, Menlo had become one of Inc. 500’s fastest growing privately held firms in the United States. What makes this story truly remarkable is that it occurred against the backdrop of an IT industry that everyone assumed was leaving the United States for offshore.

Sheridan’s team at Menlo breaks all the rules and, in doing so, produces phenomenal results for its customers. No walls, offices, doors or cubes—one big open room. In this noisy, fun atmosphere Menlo has produced software for all walks of industry, including healthcare, scientific equipment, high-fashion e-commerce and diesel motor vehicle diagnostics.

Lynn Kelley, Textron Inc.
Lynn Kelley is vice president of operational excellence for Textron Inc. Kelley manages the engineering, integrated supply chain, procurement and corporate Six Sigma/quality councils. She was previously vice president of Textron Six Sigma. She is a member of Textron’s executive leadership team, a corporate officer and a Textron Six Sigma Master Black Belt.

Kelley began her Textron career at Textron Fastening Systems in 1999, where she held various positions, including vice president of continuous improvement. She then worked for Textron Fluid and Power, where she was based in South Africa, and was responsible for continuous improvement activities at facilities located in Australia, Switzerland, France, and South Africa.

Adil Dalal, Pinnacle Process Solutions International
Adil Dalal is the CEO of Pinnacle Process Solutions International, an internationally recognized expert and thought leader in flow/lean manufacturing and project leadership, and a prominent keynote speaker at several professional conferences. As a lean sensei and project leader, Dalal has led billion dollar acquisition projects and coached several executives and teams in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia implementing successful strategies.

Dalal is the author of the upcoming books 12 Pillars of Project Excellence™ and Lean Project Leadership™. In 2010, Dalal earned his Bronze Level Lean Certification (SME/AME/Shingo Prize/ASQ Partnership). He also serves as the chair of the ASQ Human Development and Leadership Division, vice chair of education for the ASQ Lean Enterprise Division and is a board member of the Lean Certification (SME/AME/Shingo Prize/ASQ Partnership) Committee.

Alexander Eksir, Raytheon
Alexander Eksir is vice president of Raytheon’s Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) business unit and serves as mission assurance executive for IDS and Raytheon at large. Eksir is responsible for the development and integration of Raytheon’s mission assurance road map and for providing guidance and mentorship across all levels of Raytheon to ensure flawless program execution and total customer satisfaction. Eksir also serves as the Raytheon IDS lead for Raytheon Six Sigma and quality.

About the American Society for Quality
The American Society for Quality (ASQ), www.asq.org, has been the world’s leading authority on quality for more than 60 years. With more than 80,000 individual and organizational members, the professional association advances learning, quality improvement and knowledge exchange to improve business results and to create better workplaces and communities worldwide. As a champion of the quality movement, ASQ offers technologies, concepts, tools and training to quality professionals, quality practitioners and everyday consumers. ASQ has been the sole administrator of the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award since 1991. Headquartered in Milwaukee, ASQ is a founding sponsor of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), a prominent quarterly economic indicator.

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