How Marvin Windows and Doors Brought a College to Small Town Northern Minnesota

Hear the story of how Marvin Windows & Doors not only brought a Mechatronics program to their community 6 miles south of the Manitoba border but also created a dedicated resource to bring advanced manufacturing education and skill development to people and industry in northwestern Minnesota. Learn how small-town manufacturers on either side of the border can work towards engaging and building community while filling workforce skill gaps and building a long-game pipeline strategy to address skilled labor shortages for the future.

How to Find Your Blue Ocean with Little Competition and Larger Profits

Facing Corporate Bankruptcy. Lawsuits. Broken Business Partnership after over 16 years together Zero Profit and Hemorrhaging Cash. 80% staff turnover and 1-star Glass Door Reviews. Random CRA Audit. Depression. Anxiety. Months of sleepless nights. Oh - and an Unhappy Marriage.

Welcome to Ted Lau's entrepreneurial journey circa 2019. Sounds like a recipe for success, right?

Find out what comes next when you hear Ted, CEO of Award Winning B2B Lead Generation Digital Marketing Agency Ballistic Arts, talk about how (in the midst of his business rock bottom) he took his company from certain financial catastrophe to finding its “Blue Ocean”. You will learn how to strategically pivot your business where you have:

Navigate the marketing hype - ensure that your IT strategy and systems are achieving your business goals.

Many, if not most LEAN initiatives will involve some form of improved method of managing information, which most often involves some form of technology generally referred to as IT.  IT is a trillion-dollar, fast-moving industry where every vendor confidently assures you that their solution will be the silver bullet.  This provides business leaders with the daunting challenge of how to best leverage available technology to their advantage, ensuring their business is neither limited nor exploited by technology solutions. 

There is data all around you... and now you can use it!

Robots, PLCs, Tablets, Computers.... there are devices all around your factory that have a story to tell; you just need to know what tools are available to help you listen. In this presentation, you will hear about how a SCADA system was brought into a factory to monitor a few custom machines and it was so flexible and easy to use that it became so much more. Learn what SCADA systems are, various case examples, and a few tips on how YOU can get started at your own business

Technology as a Lean Enabler

Join us for an insightful presentation on how technology is being used as an enabler to support innovation and deliver tangible value for customers. Hear how two public sector organizations have built on their strong Lean foundation to embrace innovation and leverage cutting-edge technology to take continuous improvement to the next level. With continuing pressure to ensure value for taxpayers' dollars, the City of Kawartha Lakes and the London District Catholic School Board have both invested in technology to support the standardization of business process mapping in a central repository, resulting in an increased focus on value to the customer and overall efficiency. Learn how they are meeting the growing expectations for enhanced services by easily quantifying process improvements while enhancing employee engagement

Rating: Intermediate