San Diego University Hosts Lean Enterprise Information Session
San Diego, CA (PRWEB) January 19, 2014 -- San Diego State University’s College of Extended Studies will host a free information session for its Professional Certificate in Lean Enterprise program from 9-10:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 14.
The program, facilitated by a team of internationally-recognized Lean thought leaders, is designed for working professionals and emphasizes application of the concepts in the participant’s workplace. Now celebrating its 15th year, the program is the longest running of its kind in San Diego and offers a unique blend of classroom activities, company tours and application to real-world projects.
The Lean Enterprise program has drawn the attention of numerous San Diego-area businesses desiring to streamline their processes to improve performance, including TaylorMade Golf Company. As part of its community outreach, TaylorMade sponsored two employees from Feeding America San Diego to participate in the 12-week program.
Kevin Limbach, vice president of U.S. operations for TaylorMade, said the idea for sponsoring Feeding America employees in the program at SDSU derived after his company’s Community Connection group volunteered at a Feeding America event.
“We saw the opportunity for more food to be sent to hungry people faster and with less waste if Lean was applied,” Limbach said. “We thought this would be a very impactful project. What’s more important than seeing to it that hungry people are fed?”
Feeding America San Diego provides nourishment for more than 73,000 children, families and seniors every week. It relies on the support of individuals, corporations and community groups to sustain its critical hunger relief and nutrition programs throughout the region. Through its distribution model, every dollar donated turns into six meals for an individual in need.
Throughout the program at SDSU, students work in project teams applying the Lean concepts to their own work places. They also tour San Diego companies such as TaylorMade to see Lean principles in action.
The two Feeding America employees in the SDSU Lean Enterprise program worked together with three TaylorMade students on a project that focused on improving the effectiveness and efficiency of processes such as scheduling, receiving, ordering, and the physical allocation of food. Ultimately, the team’s goal was to ensure that more people’s needs are met in the San Diego region by streamlining workflows and standardizing the process through the design and adoption of best practices.
Tim Ney, former chief operating officer for Feeding America San Diego and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, worked with Limbach in pulling together the sponsorship and the team project.
“I knew this sponsorship would have a positive impact on our organization,” Ney said. “We are going to see some dramatic improvements. Lean is the key to stretching our dollars and expediting the process where children, families and seniors get the nourishment they need.”
Mike Osterling one of the facilitators in the program and author of the recently released book Value Stream Mapping: How to Visualize Work and Align Leadership for Organizational Transformation, recognizes that the Taylor Made/Feeding America partnership will serve as a vital outreach.
“This is a relevant way to reach further into the community,” Osterling said. “It’s fantastic that SDSU can serve as a conduit between a public corporation and a nonprofit. In addition it further demonstrates that the Lean principles are relevant, and can be applied, in most any environment.”
The Lean Enterprise certificate program runs on Thursdays, March 13-June 5.
Marc Myers, San Diego State University, http://www.ces.sdsu.edu/lean, (619) 594-1153, [email protected]
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