28 Years of Continuous Improvement


James Workman, Vice President, Center for Technology and Research, Printing Industries of America


Jim Workman is PIA’s vice president, Center for Tech- nology and Research, as well as the conference manager for the Continuous Improvement Conference. This year the con- ference is being held April 2–5 at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Visit ci.printing.org to learn more.


The Magazine 16 3.2017


PIA: This year the conference is taking on an employee-centered focus. What drove that?


JW: A culture needs to be supportive of continuous improvement (CI) concepts and techniques in order for a company to successfully implement and main- tain CI as a key strategy. It doesn’t fit cultures that are autocratic in nature and that don’t elicit and respect ideas from individuals doing the work. It also clashes with cultures preoccupied with getting work out the door at all costs without questioning the status quo and investigating the primary causes of errors and waste. As the impact of culture has become clearer, we’ve increasingly added content so executives can understand the influence their behaviors have and what they can do to create an atmosphere conducive to operational excellence. This year we’ve gone a step further and added a new track, Growing and Devel- oping People, which recognizes that how people are managed, evaluated, and recognized is central to creating a positive culture for improvement.


PIA: After 27 years, has a sense of fraternity grown among regular attendees?


JW: Approximately half of the companies that attend return each year, indicating a strong commitment. Not only that, but the average company sends two or three people, with some sending groups in excess


of ten. Groups maximize networking opportunities, and we specifically build in structured networking sessions along with numerous social events. There’s a spirit of sharing information which is made even stronger because of the relationships formed by peo- ple who return every year.


PIA: With a CI focus, there must be a good deal of pressure to develop a more valuable experience each year. What can attendees look forward to in 2017?


JW: How right you are. Fortunately, we have the CI Conference Advisory Committee to help us bear up under the pressure! Each year we search for new industry speakers, fresh topics, and we try new things based on what evaluations forms and committee members tell us. This year we shot videos at a print- ing company to complement the keynote presentation on Gemba Walks. One advantage to changing cities is that it allows us to take advantage of unique resources in each location. In Pittsburgh this year, we’re having our evening gala at the Heinz History Center and on Tuesday we’ll be featuring a presentation on robotics by the world-renowned Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.


PIA: The CI Conference always has great tours of local facilities. What do you have in store for Pittsburgh?


JW: Even though I live in Pittsburgh, I wasn’t aware of which local companies were advanced users of CI concepts. It took some digging, but we’ve put together three solid experiences. The tours to Universal Elec- tric, Philips Respironics, and Industrial Scientific will give attendees the chance to pick up ideas from top performing manufacturers. While these are fascinat- ing tours, they’re also a chance for the companies to explain the what, why, and how of their CI strategy.


Q&A


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