“MANAGING PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT IN 2009"
Thursday December 17, 2009 - Minneapolis
Savvy is a consortium of product development engineering leaders. Savvy offers a timely symposium for product development engineering leaders to address the questions:
How are product development engineering leaders getting their arms around this economic uncertainty? What tools are they implementing? What initiatives do they have underway to:
1. Implement product cost reductions for long-term financial viability.
2. Eliminate waste in order to do meet schedules with fewer resources and constrained budgets.
3. Continuously engage technical knowledge workers to improve their performance quality.
4. Ensure continued flow in the product development pipeline.
5. Implement “Knowledge based” lean product development.
This is a “must attend” symposium for individuals who do want to benchmark the initiatives of others. Leaders know that they cannot engage their people, projects and processes in isolation given the uncertainty.
Plan to get answers and implement useful knowledge about how others address changing management expectations, customer value expectations and simultaneously implement change.
The symposium content will draw on the results of the Savvy Chicago symposium in March.
Savvy Symposium
Thursday December 17, 2009 2:30-5:00 PM
Symposium Cost: $40.00
Register
Savvy Leaders Consortium Collaborators
Savvy collaborators are persons who have a professional track record of many new product development successes in a variety of industrial, commercial, and consumer durable products markets. They have a demonstrated interest, knowledge and passion for the Toyota Design and Development System. They have demonstrated a true focus on helping product design and development organizations learn, interpret and integrate the Toyota System successfully in their product development organizations
Eugene Kania
Founder and Principal, MC2 Solutions
Chicago, IL
Eugene Kania received a Master’s Degree in Engineering from the University of Illinois. He has worked in New Product Development for his entire career and has had a life long interest in continuous improvement in product development operations at both the management level (portfolio and resource management) and the team level (process management and improvement).
As a product engineer, Kania played key roles in 2 major, new-to-the-world product introduction programs for leak free (zero emissions) exhaust connectors at Chrysler and General Motors, respectively. He also played a significant role in the re-design of some critical components for the Lockheed C-130 program.
His engineering experience culminated in his promotion to Chief Engineer for a major Tier 2 supplier to the automotive industry. As engineering functions manager, Kania was responsible for running a Computer Simulation and Analysis Group, a Computer Aided Design Group, as well as a Mechanical Test and Prototype Lab.
Kania’s management experience broadened with his assignment to Business Unit Director for a multi-division, worldwide supplier of specialty engineered products. He spearheaded an effort to transform the business unit from a functional organization to a market segmented organization. In changing the culture, he focused on business improvement tasks and key business performance measurements. On-time performance improved to consistently over 95% while simultaneously reducing lead times by 20%. Sales increased by 25% over 3 years while the profitability of existing business increased. And, inventory turns doubled.
It was during this period that Kania was first exposed to Lean principles and Constraints Management approaches. In seeing the success of these techniques in manufacturing, he was determined to figure out how to apply them in upstream business processes, especially product development. In early 1996, in Denver, Colorado, he attended the annual APICS (American Production and Inventory Control Society) Conference where the world famous Dr. Eli Goldratt debuted his book entitled Critical Chain. This became the seed from which Kania would begin successfully applying Lean principles and Constraints Management approaches to improve product development operations.
In 1998, Kania expanded his industry management competence by applying his knowledge and passion for continuous improvement in product development operations. He started as in internal consultant to Lucent Technologies (now Alcatel Lucent) where he was responsible for specific tasks on a corporate program team responsible for accelerating product development. He implemented Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM), a pre-cursor to his growing interest in Lean and Systems thinking. He became an in-depth expert in the methodology by implementing CCPM with many teams and several business units and by training over 1500 people. He became an independent management consultant in 2001 (as the Founder and Principal of mc2solutions) when he began working with companies like The Datacard Group, Abbott Labs and Agere Systems.
By 2001, Kania learned how to apply Lean principles to manage portfolios of product development projects, especially in the chronically troubled area of Resource Management. In 2004, with his contributions to the business critical area of portfolio and resource management firmly established, Kania was invited to join the Partnership for Lean Innovation, a consortium funded by the state of Ohio to help Ohio manufacturers increase the level of innovation and quality in their products and improve their product development capabilities to spur growth and job creation throughout the state.
For the last several years, Kania has closely collaborated with Jim Jacobs and the Savvy Consortium and is the founder of the Savvy Consortium in Chicago. He has also collaborated with many thought leaders in the field of Lean Product Development including Michael Kennedy and Dr. Durward Sobek. He teaches workshops in Lean and Knowledge-Based Product Development based, in part, on the work of the late Dr. Allen Ward. His workshop content integrates his design engineering experience and management successes in applying Lean principles and Constraints Management approaches successfully over the last decade.
Companies that have attended his workshops include: Lucent Technologies, Intel, BP Amoco, GE Aircraft Engines, Emerson Electric, Crane Valve and IDEX Corporation. He is a sought after speaker and regularly presents for Industry Week and for professional organizations like AME, PMI, PDMA and ASQ. He is certified as a New Product Development Professional (NPDP) by PDMA (Product Development and Management Association) where he does training and contributes to PDMA Visions magazine.
Gene is married, has 6 children from college age to grade school and lives in suburban Chicago. He enjoys camping, hiking, cycling and plays ice hockey and golf as time permits.
Merle Meyer
Vice President, RapidRefill
Merle Meyer currently Vice President RapidRefill, Incorporated. Previously, Merle worked at Katun Corporation nineteen years in product design, innovation and development where he was responsible for managing heavyweight projects and directing the product development function. He managed the extensive product test engineering and product design engineering functions. He introduced “critical to function” design disciplines. He worked extensively with Japanese and other Pacific rim based vendors to integrate their deep technical knowledge into the Katun design and development process.
Meyer’s interest in science/knowledge based product development systems has been building for many years as a result of his strategic interaction with rigorous design engineering leaders in Japanese based corporations such as Canon, Konica Minolta, Fuji Xerox, Xerox and their suppliers/vendors.
Before studying Toyota’s methods, Meyer had already started the development of tradeoff curves at Katun in order to better design the critical to function components of the printers and copiers for Katun’s markets. This saved time and increased productivity in the test and design organization.
In the early years of 2000, Meyer immersed himself in research of the knowledge based product innovation, product design and product development systems used at Toyota in the auto industry. Meyer read extensively and participated in workshops conducted by the astute observers of the Toyota Development system: Durward Sobek, Michael Kennedy, the late Allan Ward and more recently Ken Kreafle, Chief Engineer – Toyota Avalon 05.
Merle Meyer recognized similarities between the tools and rigor that he was already using in product engineering at Katun. He introduced other elements of Toyota not already used into the Katun process. Meyer also became a charter member of the Savvy Consortium in 05.
He contributed to the learning events of the Savvy Consortium which is comprised of product engineering leaders who, also, were learning and implementing elements of the Toyota Design system. Merle has presented at national conferences on the topic of “Trade Curves and Set Based Design Concurrent Engineering and Strategic Vendor integration.”
Meyer is the chief architect and co-author of several Savvy Consortium seminars and workshops: “Introduction to the Toyota Development System” “The A3 Workshop “ and the “Chief Engineer” workshop. He draws on his research into the experiences of Toyota executive Ken Kreafle – Chief Engineer - 05 Avalon and several other Toyota managers. In addition to his own product project management experiences, Meyer draws on the experiences of USA based product development engineering managers who are implementing the chief engineer model in their organizations.
Meyer is a sought after speaker on trade off curve generation and strategic engineering knowledge development with suppliers. He has spoken at several national conferences including the Savvy Lean Product Development Conferences II, III and IV in Chicago as well as the Management Roundtable conference.
Merle Meyer is currently Vice President, Rapid Refill, Inc, in the strategic role of design and sourcing quality inks and toners from world class vendors to retail service companies that serve the ink and toner refill market.
Meyer has a life long commitment to generating and sharing his experiential knowledge as well as his conceptual knowledge. Pursuing this interest, he helps product development engineering leaders who are transforming their engineering organizations the knowledge centered product innovation, design and development system pattern after Toyota and now in North American product development organizations.
Education:
Master of Science Degree in Technology Management, St. Thomas University, St. Paul MN Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Technology, Bemidji State University, Bemidji, MN
Merle Meyer is a Senior Member of ASQ.
He is a Charter Member of the Savvy Consortium and is architect and presenter of variety of knowledge based, Toyota Product Develop System.
Other: Merle Meyer holds three US patents and two Chinese patents for Toner Cartridge designs.
Eugene KaniaFounder and Principal, MC2 Solutions
Chicago, IL
Eugene Kania received a Master’s Degree in Engineering from the University of Illinois. He has worked in New Product Development for his entire career and has had a life long interest in continuous improvement in product development operations at both the management level (portfolio and resource management) and the team level (process management and improvement).
As a product engineer, Kania played key roles in 2 major, new-to-the-world product introduction programs for leak free (zero emissions) exhaust connectors at Chrysler and General Motors, respectively. He also played a significant role in the re-design of some critical components for the Lockheed C-130 program.
His engineering experience culminated in his promotion to Chief Engineer for a major Tier 2 supplier to the automotive industry. As engineering functions manager, Kania was responsible for running a Computer Simulation and Analysis Group, a Computer Aided Design Group, as well as a Mechanical Test and Prototype Lab.
Kania’s management experience broadened with his assignment to Business Unit Director for a multi-division, worldwide supplier of specialty engineered products. He spearheaded an effort to transform the business unit from a functional organization to a market segmented organization. In changing the culture, he focused on business improvement tasks and key business performance measurements. On-time performance improved to consistently over 95% while simultaneously reducing lead times by 20%. Sales increased by 25% over 3 years while the profitability of existing business increased. And, inventory turns doubled.
It was during this period that Kania was first exposed to Lean principles and Constraints Management approaches. In seeing the success of these techniques in manufacturing, he was determined to figure out how to apply them in upstream business processes, especially product development. In early 1996, in Denver, Colorado, he attended the annual APICS (American Production and Inventory Control Society) Conference where the world famous Dr. Eli Goldratt debuted his book entitled Critical Chain. This became the seed from which Kania would begin successfully applying Lean principles and Constraints Management approaches to improve product development operations.
In 1998, Kania expanded his industry management competence by applying his knowledge and passion for continuous improvement in product development operations. He started as in internal consultant to Lucent Technologies (now Alcatel Lucent) where he was responsible for specific tasks on a corporate program team responsible for accelerating product development. He implemented Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM), a pre-cursor to his growing interest in Lean and Systems thinking. He became an in-depth expert in the methodology by implementing CCPM with many teams and several business units and by training over 1500 people. He became an independent management consultant in 2001 (as the Founder and Principal of mc2solutions) when he began working with companies like The Datacard Group, Abbott Labs and Agere Systems.
By 2001, Kania learned how to apply Lean principles to manage portfolios of product development projects, especially in the chronically troubled area of Resource Management. In 2004, with his contributions to the business critical area of portfolio and resource management firmly established, Kania was invited to join the Partnership for Lean Innovation, a consortium funded by the state of Ohio to help Ohio manufacturers increase the level of innovation and quality in their products and improve their product development capabilities to spur growth and job creation throughout the state.
For the last several years, Kania has closely collaborated with Jim Jacobs and the Savvy Consortium and is the founder of the Savvy Consortium in Chicago. He has also collaborated with many thought leaders in the field of Lean Product Development including Michael Kennedy and Dr. Durward Sobek. He teaches workshops in Lean and Knowledge-Based Product Development based, in part, on the work of the late Dr. Allen Ward. His workshop content integrates his design engineering experience and management successes in applying Lean principles and Constraints Management approaches successfully over the last decade.
Companies that have attended his workshops include: Lucent Technologies, Intel, BP Amoco, GE Aircraft Engines, Emerson Electric, Crane Valve and IDEX Corporation. He is a sought after speaker and regularly presents for Industry Week and for professional organizations like AME, PMI, PDMA and ASQ. He is certified as a New Product Development Professional (NPDP) by PDMA (Product Development and Management Association) where he does training and contributes to PDMA Visions magazine.
Gene is married, has 6 children from college age to grade school and lives in suburban Chicago. He enjoys camping, hiking, cycling and plays ice hockey and golf as time permits.
Merle Meyer
Vice President, RapidRefill
Merle Meyer currently Vice President RapidRefill, Incorporated. Previously, Merle worked at Katun Corporation nineteen years in product design, innovation and development where he was responsible for managing heavyweight projects and directing the product development function. He managed the extensive product test engineering and product design engineering functions. He introduced “critical to function” design disciplines. He worked extensively with Japanese and other Pacific rim based vendors to integrate their deep technical knowledge into the Katun design and development process.
Meyer’s interest in science/knowledge based product development systems has been building for many years as a result of his strategic interaction with rigorous design engineering leaders in Japanese based corporations such as Canon, Konica Minolta, Fuji Xerox, Xerox and their suppliers/vendors.
Before studying Toyota’s methods, Meyer had already started the development of tradeoff curves at Katun in order to better design the critical to function components of the printers and copiers for Katun’s markets. This saved time and increased productivity in the test and design organization.
In the early years of 2000, Meyer immersed himself in research of the knowledge based product innovation, product design and product development systems used at Toyota in the auto industry. Meyer read extensively and participated in workshops conducted by the astute observers of the Toyota Development system: Durward Sobek, Michael Kennedy, the late Allan Ward and more recently Ken Kreafle, Chief Engineer – Toyota Avalon 05.
Merle Meyer recognized similarities between the tools and rigor that he was already using in product engineering at Katun. He introduced other elements of Toyota not already used into the Katun process. Meyer also became a charter member of the Savvy Consortium in 05.
He contributed to the learning events of the Savvy Consortium which is comprised of product engineering leaders who, also, were learning and implementing elements of the Toyota Design system. Merle has presented at national conferences on the topic of “Trade Curves and Set Based Design Concurrent Engineering and Strategic Vendor integration.”
Meyer is the chief architect and co-author of several Savvy Consortium seminars and workshops: “Introduction to the Toyota Development System” “The A3 Workshop “ and the “Chief Engineer” workshop. He draws on his research into the experiences of Toyota executive Ken Kreafle – Chief Engineer - 05 Avalon and several other Toyota managers. In addition to his own product project management experiences, Meyer draws on the experiences of USA based product development engineering managers who are implementing the chief engineer model in their organizations.
Meyer is a sought after speaker on trade off curve generation and strategic engineering knowledge development with suppliers. He has spoken at several national conferences including the Savvy Lean Product Development Conferences II, III and IV in Chicago as well as the Management Roundtable conference.
Merle Meyer is currently Vice President, Rapid Refill, Inc, in the strategic role of design and sourcing quality inks and toners from world class vendors to retail service companies that serve the ink and toner refill market.
Meyer has a life long commitment to generating and sharing his experiential knowledge as well as his conceptual knowledge. Pursuing this interest, he helps product development engineering leaders who are transforming their engineering organizations the knowledge centered product innovation, design and development system pattern after Toyota and now in North American product development organizations.
Education:
Master of Science Degree in Technology Management, St. Thomas University, St. Paul MN Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Technology, Bemidji State University, Bemidji, MN
Merle Meyer is a Senior Member of ASQ.
He is a Charter Member of the Savvy Consortium and is architect and presenter of variety of knowledge based, Toyota Product Develop System.
Other: Merle Meyer holds three US patents and two Chinese patents for Toner Cartridge designs.