(IPC: Bannockburn, IL) -- Focused solely on implementation for electronics manufacturing and featuring actual case studies from industry leaders, the IPC Lean Sigma Conference for Electronics Manufacturing will be held Nov. 17–19, in Phoenix, Arizona. Designed to benefit all operations managers, including manufacturing, field application, market development, and inventory control engineers, the event offers insight into ways to immediately implement the lean Six Sigma methodology and reduce cycle times, inventory levels, and costs, while improving quality.

A full-day “Fundamentals of Lean Sigma” workshop on Nov. 17 will provide hands-on strategies to maintain a workflow in balance with customer demands, even when faced with sudden market changes and limited resources. Covering topics with immediate application in the workplace, instructors Rita Mohanty, Ph.D., director of advanced development at Speedline Technologies Inc.; Tim King, senior partner with the Tupelo Group LLC; and Ronald C. Lasky, Ph.D., senior technologist at Indium Corp. of America and professor at Dartmouth Thayer School of Engineering, will share their expertise and real-world experiences.

Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belts and keynote speakers Aaron Spearin of Cookson Electronics-Ethone Division and Ronald Lasky will lead off each morning of the technical conference on Nov. 18–19.

Industry experts from companies such as Intel, Celestica, Plexus, Cookson, Indium, Panasonic, Kyzen, Medtronics, Speedline, and Tyco will illustrate their presentations with real-life examples. Topics include: lean and design of experiments (DOE), a method used to identify the ideal combination of process variables to achieve desired quality; the kaizen model of team training to maximize the waste-reduction benefits of lean; value stream mapping to analyze the flow of materials and information to find ways to increase efficiency of lead time; and an introduction to 5S, a process to organize, clean, and standardize the workplace. Professional networking opportunities and tabletop displays provide additional value to the program.

“To successfully compete in today’s market, manufacturing and business processes must run as efficiently as possible, offering greater quality while reducing costs,” says Dave Torp, IPC vice president of standards and technology. “This program offers a set of measurable practices that can be directly applied to business operations.”

Jon Bailey, lean continuous improvement manager for Continental Automotive Systems agrees, noting that timing is critical, “If you think that you can take your time about lean implementation… your competitors are going to eat your lunch.”

For more information on the workshops and technical conference, visit www.ipc.org/Lean-Sigma-Electronics or contact Tina Nerad, IPC coordinator of technical projects at (847) 597-2826 or PD-Coordinator@ipc.org.