Category: Workshops

WORKSHOP: Quantitative Decision Management

Presented by Henry Quesada, Assistant Professor of Business Management and Operations Research, Virginia Tech

Workshop description:

Decision making techniques can be defined as a collection of qualitative and quantitative analytical tools that allows business and process managers to outline and analyze potential scenarios when searching for solutions given a specific problem or situation.
Participants in this two-day workshop will learn how to use different quantitative tools to build models and integrate computer applications to solve current business and manufacturing problems.

  • Course outline:
    • Basics of decision making
    • Spreadsheet basics
    • Basic statistical concepts
    • Data generation using Montecarlo methods
    • Forecasting
    • Inventory control models
    • Design of experiments
    • Linear programming
    • Queue Analysis
    • Markov Analysis
    • Simulation

 

  • Workshop objectives:
    • Understand the basic steps for decision making
    • Understand the main applications of a variety of decision making techniques
    • Learn how to integrate computer applications such as spreadsheets with quantitative decision making tools
    • Understand how to incorporate decision making tools in simulation modeling

 

  • Who should attend:
    • Managers who wish to increase their decision making skills by introducing quantitative tools into their work environments
    • Engineers interested in formulating better planning tools for their supply chain management, optimization of manufacturing processes, and general process modeling for continuous improvement
    • Business process engineers in service industries interested in learning quantitative tools to model and optimize processes
    • Marketing researcher looking for proven techniques to analyze marketing data
    • Researchers in need of learning quantitative methods to test ideas and concepts

 

  • Unique value of the workshop:
    • Application of the techniques and tools to sample problems to facilitate the learning process
    • Integration of decision making tools with computer applications such as spreadsheets
    • Focus on managerial aspects and less in the mathematical details of the techniques. Participants are required to have basic knowledge of algebra.
    • Participants will develop unique skills to incorporate “easy to use and implement” decision making tools into their daily activities

 

  • Location and Registration
    Workshop is scheduled for October 18-19, 2012 from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm at the Virginia Tech Roanoke Center in Roanoke, VA.

 

  • Registration fee
    Workshop investment is $400 and includes:
    •Certificate of attendance. Ask for CPU credits.
    • Two coffee breaks and one lunch per day
    • Material print outs and spreadsheet templates

To register please follow this link. For further details or questions please contact Henry Quesada at quesada@vt.edu or 540 231 0978.

Instructor summary:
Dr. Henry Quesada works for the Department of Sustainable Biomaterials at Virginia has an expert in business management and operations research. His academic program focuses on process improvement for service and manufacturing firms and he has over 12 years of experience as a consultant and researcher in medical device components, forest products, microelectronic, financial, and telecommunications industry sectors.

If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact Dr. Henry Quesada at (540) 231 0978 during business hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to discuss accommodations 5 days prior to the event. TDD number is (800) 828-1120.

 

WORKSHOP: Energy Reductions using Lean Thinking

Sponsored by

Organized By 

  • Department of Sustainable Biomaterials at Virginia Tech

Goal

 The purpose of this workshop is to inspire new visions and strategies which address the most pressing energy challenges for contemporary society; it will create new ideas for usage of Lean Principles in reducing energy use and costs. It will also promote collaboration between scholars working across disciplines on Lean Thinking and Energy.

The Lean House

Key Values of Workshop

  •  Attendees will have a better opportunity to understand lean and potential energy savings with the implementation  of lean principles into their process.
  • Presentation of an Energy toolkit to identify wastes related to energy, environment, and the processes.
  • Attendees will be exposed on “How to use Lean principles for Energy Savings”  using real applications
  • Participants will be introduced to Energy Management Systems and their benefits

Tentative Agenda

September 27, 2012. 9:00 am-4:30 pm.

  • Welcome and overview
  • Current and future scenaro of Energy in Virginia. Joseph Jones, Director of Executive Affairs. Appalachian Power.
  • Lean Thinking Principles. Henry Quesada, Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech
  • Break
  • Energy Audits using Lean Thinking. Henry Quesada, Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech
  • Energy Management Systems. Tyler Gill, Enernoc Systems
  • Lunch
  • Industry case study I. Brian Bond, Associate Professor, Virginia Tech
  • Industry case study II. Jon Bluey, Building Science Project Manager, Community Housing Partners.
  • Closing comments and questions
  • Adjourn

Relevant to

  • Plant Managers, Quality Engineers, Process Engineers, Procurement Managers, Supplier Chain Managers, Purchasing Managers, Plant Engineers, Energy Managers, Energy and Environment Engineers and Medium Enterprise Manager
  • Anybody who is interested in energy savings

Venue

Roanoke Higher Education Center

108 North Jefferson Street
Roanoke, Virginia 24016
(540) 767-6100

Registration

$50. Includes coffee breaks, lunch, and materials. To register, please follow this link. Please contact Dr. Henry Quesada at quesada@vt.edu  if you have any questions or need more details.   CEU will be offered for this workshop.

If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact Dr Henry Quesada at (540 231 0978) during business hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to discuss accommodations 5 days prior to the event. TDD number is (800) 828-1120.

Workshop: A Competitive Edge: Reducing Energy Costs in Hardwood Manufacturing

  • Workshop: A Competitive Edge: Reducing Energy Costs in Hardwood Manufacturing

  • Presented by: Virginia Tech Wood Science and Forest Products Department
  • Location:  USDA Forest Service Wood Education & Resource Center
    301 Hardwood Lane
    Princeton, WV 24740

Date:   March 22, 2012

  • Fee:   $50
  • Registration:   Online go here
  • Details at:  Please go here for more details
  • More information or questions:  Contact Brian Bond at (540) 231-8752, email bbond@vt.edu
    or Angela Riegel at (540) 231-7107

Why attend?

Energy expenses are the third largest cost for the US forest products industries, after raw materials and labor. Over the last decade, electricity prices have risen at an average annual rate of 1.4%, diesel prices by 9.3%, and prices for natural gas for industrial use by more than 100%. Natural gas and electricity account for about two fifths of total energy consumption of the wood products industry. These higher energy costs undoubtedly negatively impact the industries profitability, which has also been significantly impacted by other issues such as hardwood stumpage prices, higher transportation costs, increasing government regulations, a challenging economic situation, and the ongoing globalization of markets. Given the trajectory of energy prices and the energy intensity of the US hardwood industry, energy consumption and the resulting costs, strategies to reduce energy consumption should be a priority issue in order for our industry to remain competitive.

WORKSHOP: Lean Management (Spanish)

 Lean Management

Desde el nacimiento del término en la Corporación Japonesa Toyota, la administración esbelta (Lean Management) ha sido una de las filosofías más eficaces para identificar valor y eliminar desperdicio en los procesos de empresas manufactureras y de servicios. La filosofía es hoy en día parte fundamental de los planes de acción de empresas grandes y pequeñas en su lucha por aumentar la productividad y calidad de los productos y servicios que ofrecen.

Para muchos la filosofía de pensamiento esbelto parece algo destinado sólo para las grandes empresas transnacionales. Sin embargo, hoy en día existen organizaciones consideradas pequeñas que han logrado una implementación eficaz y eficiente de esta filosofía. El éxito en la implementación del pensamiento esbelto radica en los principios de trabajo en equipo a través de los eventos Kaizen y la identificación de la cadena de valor como primeros pasos. Sólo diferenciando las actividades que generan valor de las que no es que las empresas han encontrado una nueva forma de aprovechar mejor sus recursos para producir más con menos. La administración esbelta puede ayudar a empresas de manufactura y servicio en esta tarea de identificar valor de manera que la estrategia de la firma gire en torno a las actividades o procesos que generen valor según la percepción del cliente.

Los beneficios de Lean Management están sumamente ligados al compromiso que tenga la administración de la firma para cambiar la personalidad, cultura, u organización de la empresa. Este cambio se basa en la reducción sistemática de desperdicio y el desarrollo de niveles de satisfacción a través de trabajo en equipo impactando todos los procesos del negocio. Adoptar el Sistema “Lean” permite a la empresa crear un sentido de dirección para alinear los procesos que no ofrecen valor y poder dar seguimiento a las mejoras a través de un conjunto de indicadores confiables.

Los conceptos y beneficios de Lean Management se pueden extender más allá de empresas de manufactura. Hoy en día Lean Management es utilizado por administradores en una amplia variedad de disciplinas e industrias como construcción, salud, finanzas, y gobierno. Administradores en estas disciplinas han ido progresivamente implementando Lean Management en sus procesos teniendo como resultado un impacto significativo en la estructura de costos así como en los niveles de satisfacción de los clientes.

Continue reading “WORKSHOP: Lean Management (Spanish)”

Virginia Tech and Purdue University partnership delivered a workshop in Supply Chain Management

Blacksburg, VA. June 7, 2011. In May 17, 2011 Drs. Earl Kline, Omar Espinoza, and Henry Quesada from the Department of Wood Science and Forest Products at Virginia Tech teamed up with Dr. Eva Haviarova from the Department of Forestry at Purdue University to teach the workshop Supply Chain Management: Challenges and Opportunities. The event was held at Vincennes University in Jasper, IN. A total of 24 participants attended the workshop, mostly from the local furniture industry.

 

Drs. Henry Quesada, Omar Espinoza, and Earl Kline.

The workshop was a good change for participants to learn about current trends in Supply Chain Management (SCM), applications of Lean Thinking in SCM, and SCM performance based management. Also Don Dugan from General Electric (GE) participated as a speaker by introducing and providing examples and applications of how third party logistics (3PL) works. The workshop ended up with the participation of Dr. Haviarova who delivered an updated on the platform Indiana Forest Products Web Community. Feedback from participants indicated that the workshop met and exceeded expectations in terms of the depth and amount of provided information, and the quality of the speakers and the facilities.

The workshop was sponsored by the Department of Wood Science and Forest Products at Virginia Tech, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership at Purdue University, the Dubois County Area Development Corporation (DCADC), Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE), and Vincennes University.

For more information on similar training opportunities, please contact Dr. Henry Quesada at quesada@vt.edu