Manufacturing Leadership: Navigating Change in the Face of a Crisis
Thursday, Nov. 19, 1:30 – 3 p.m. ET
Description
Manufacturing is moving toward a new reality that requires agile and adaptive workplace based on a culture of learning. COVID-19 has accelerated this trend as companies have quickly adapted their operations to improve productivity while keeping their workforce safe.
How can manufacturing leaders make sure their workplace has the agility to navigate the relentless pace of change, even in the face of a crisis? This webinar introduces how systems thinking can provide a foundation for sustainable productivity during good and bad times. Presenters discuss system thinking from three perspectives: within the executive leadership team; within the company’s people development systems; and in alignment with Industry 4.0, also called the “Industrial Internet of Things.”
What You’ll Learn:
- How to empower leaders to create a culture of engagement across an organization through servant leadership
- How to promote a learning mindset within an organization that engages all team members in problem solving and innovation
- How to help manage an organization’s internal people development system more effectively by promoting continuous improvement within the system
- How to assist an organization in exploring and navigating a transition to Industry 4.0 technologies by understanding the system connections within production processes as well as connections to the workforce
Speakers
Distinguished Professor and Heath Fellow in Business and Engineering at the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, UT Knoxville
Rupy Sawhney is the founder of Sawhney Solutions and is a distinguished professor and heath fellow in business and engineering in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at UT Knoxville. He also serves as the executive director of the Center for Advanced Systems Research and Education (CASRE) at UT Knoxville, where he leads a team of nearly 30 staff and graduate students. Sawhney has developed the Sawhney Model, which uniquely focuses on people-centered operational excellence strategies. This model is the basis of transformational projects and training programs for leading industry and federal partners, including DOE, Covenant Health, and Clayton Homes. Overall, he and his team have partnered with more than 200 companies on operational excellence projects. Dr. Sawhney has established innovative educational and training programs with national and international visibility, including an onsite cohort program (2011-present), and the Lean Enterprise Systems Program (LESP) (2011-present). The cohort program has graduated more than 100 professionals with master’s degrees in industrial engineering, whereas the LESP has graduated more than 900 students from 10 countries. These efforts have resulted in strong international collaborations with nearly 20 universities worldwide. Sawhney has been recognized with various awards such as the Boeing Welliver Fellow, Alcoa Faculty Award, Institute of Industrial Engineers Lean Teaching Award, Industrial and Operations Management Society Outstanding Educator Award, the 2019 University of Tennessee President’s Award as the “Educate” honoree, and the 2020 John L. Imhoff Global Excellence Award for Industrial Engineering Education.
Workforce Development Consultant, Center for Industrial Services, UT Institute for Public Service
In his role as workforce development consultant with the UT Institute for Public Service’s Center for Industrial Services, Tim Waldo works with Tennessee manufacturers on workforce development opportunities. His passion for helping people discover their potential has been a primary motivator throughout his career, which includes more than 17 years in the manufacturing sector and multiple years in the service sector. During that time, Waldo has had the opportunity to recruit, train and manage multiple teams. In 2012, he shifted his career focus to workforce development exclusively, first in the nonprofit sector then with the University of Tennessee. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Tusculum College. He and his wife Carol live in Knoxville.
Advanced Manufacturing Consultant, Center for Industrial Services, UT Institute for Public Service
Danny Norman joined the Center for Industrial Services within the UT Institute for Public Service in 2018 as an advanced manufacturing specialist. In this role, he assists small manufacturers with industry 4.0, advanced materials and other technology applications. Prior to joining UT, he worked as a technology commercialization specialist, focusing on patent licensing of energy tech, smart sensors, mechanical systems and other commercialization opportunities. Norman earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering mechanics from Lipscomb University and a master’s degree in business administration from UT Knoxville with a concentration in marketing and entrepreneurship.
