David Drickhamer
I first began to understand the bottom-line and human benefits of effective lean programs during my time as editorial research director of IndustryWeek magazine in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Double-digit quality, cycle time, inventory, safety, and other improvements that resulted from the initial transition from batch mode production to some flavor of one-piece flow are always impressive. But even more impressive to me is the creative energy and pride that learning new ways of working and applying that knowledge has on managers and employees at all levels. Most impressive of all are when such knowledge and improvements lead to innovation and market advantages that drive superior growth and returns.
At IndustryWeek, before serving as chief editor of several supply chain publications (for more about my career see: www.drickhamer.com), I managed a variety of research projects and reported on issues and trends in organizational development, business excellence, operational strategy, and supply-chain and logistics. I wrote a monthly column titled “Continuous Improvement” about the quest for operational excellence, drawing most of my inspiration from participants in IndustryWeek’s Best Plants award and benchmarking program that I coordinated. Managed today by friend and former colleague Jill Jusko, the awards program continues to recognize the best manufacturing facilities in North America.
david@leanroi.org
+1 216-220-5121
Pat Panchak
As a journalist who has studied and written about business leadership, management strategies and operational excellence for over 20 years, I seek to tell stories that show how successful organizations achieve great results. Among the most exciting that I’ve written or edited are the stories of lean transformations.
At IndustryWeek, where I served as editor-in-chief, and as a public speaker, I delivered research and told stories that demonstrated the effectiveness of lean in manufacturing companies. Through the years, I had the privilege of witnessing how the understanding of lean evolved from the beginning, when it was considered a radically new factory-based production system, to today, when it is known as a top-to-bottom leadership philosophy, management methodology and tactical tool-set.
Now as an independent writer and editor, I publish feature stories, in-depth case studies, and interviews with “lean leaders” that show how leading companies, academics and consultants continue to adapt lean thinking to areas such as product development, environmental sustainability, and administration. As well, I’m reporting on how other industries are adapting this “manufacturing” strategy. Most recently, I’ve focused on how health care organizations are adapting lean to improve quality, reduce the cost and speed the delivery of health care.
ppanchak@roadrunner.com
+1-216-973-7813
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