Organised around the theme of “Innovation in Manufacturing”, MEC 2011 will focus on harnessing the potential of your company’s workforce for innovation and productivity. We expect over 200 senior executives from both multi-national corporations and small & medium enterprises to attend the variety of programmes.

MEC 2011 Programme

This year, MAXA proudly presents to you MEC 2011 on 16 and 17 November 2011 at Marina Bay Sands.

Date/Time	Event	Venue	Expected Turnout
16 Nov 09:30 to 17:30	Workshop on "Developing People for their Infinite Creative Potential" The workshop is led by lean manufacturing expert Norman Bodek. Participants will learn more about the Harada Method to drive innovation and take away related insights on Innovation and Design Thinking, the Process of Innovation, Questioning and Bringing Change, Kaizen as the Idea Generator and Designing The Future Factory. The workshop is fee-based.	Marina Bay Sands, Level 3 Begonia Main Ballroom	Limited to 20 pax.
17 Nov 08:30 to 13:30	Forum on “Innovation in Manufacturing” Lean manufacturing expert Norman Bodek, who is credited with discovering and publishing the works of Dr Shigeo Shingo and Taiichi Ohno, inventors of the Toyota Production System, will deliver a keynote address on “The Human Side of Innovation”. Other speakers include Mr Hong Kok Leong of Tetrapak and NBBJ consulting firm, who will share on design thinking in manufacturing. The forum is free of charge.	Marina Bay Sands, Level 3 Begonia Main Ballroom	Maximum capacity of 200.
17 Nov 14:00 to 17:00	MEC 2011 Plant Tours Hosted by 3 of the past MAXA winners and finalists. The tours are free of charge.	Company addresses Biosensors Interventional Technologies Blk 10, Kaki Bukit Avenue 1, #06-01/04 Kampong Ubi Industrial Estate Singapore 417942 Keppel FELS Pioneer Yard1 - head office 50 Gul Road, Singapore 629351 Yokogawa Electric Asia 5 Bedok South Road Singapore 469270	Limited to 25 pax per plant. Each company may send up to two representatives for each session.

The event will be informal, with a smart casual dress code of company polo tee.

MEC 2011 Event comprises of:

Workshop on "Developing People for their Infinite Creative Potential" Led by lean manufacturing expert Norman Bodek, the workshop focuses on the Harada Method to inculcate self-reliance as an important means to drive innovation. The Harada model, founded on the principle that the need for self-reliance drives innovation, is currently sweeping Japan as one of the most systematic ways to develop people to their maximum creative potential, and picked by the Japan Management Association as an important day-to-day management tool. Workshop participants will appreciate the benefits of creating the right environment for employees to “stand on their own two feet”, which drives one to set a proper goal, plan and implement the steps creatively to achieve the goal. Growing people to their fullest creative potential will be shown as a foundation to sustain other improvement programs such as a Lean initiative.

Forum on "Innovation in Manufacturing" With a focus on harnessing talent for innovation and productivity, the forum will begin with a keynote speech on “The Human Side of Innovation”, highlighting the importance of self-reliant and innovative individuals in helping companies achieve manufacturing competitiveness. Programme Date/Time Event 0830 to 0900 Arrival and registration 0900 to 0910 Screening of “Singapore – 50 Years of Economic Development” 0910 to 0920 Welcome remarks by Mr Tan Choon Shian, Deputy Managing Director, Singapore Economic Development Board 0920 to 1020 Keynote address by Mr Norman Bodek, Co-founder of Shingo Prize on “The Human Side of Innovation” 1020 to 1040 Tea-break and networking 1040 to 1130 “The Human Side of Innovation” (continued) 1140 to 1200 Sharing by Mr Hong Kok Leong, World Class Manufacturing Champion, South & Southeast Asia, Tetra Pak on “The Pursuit of Manufacturing Excellence through Communities” 1200 to 1230 Presentation by Mr Terry Huang, NBBJ on “Design Thinking: Synergistic Influences Between Business and Design” 1230 to 1330 Lunch View CV of lean manufacturing expert Norman Bodek here.

MEC 2011 Plant Tours Hosted by 3 of the past MAXA winners and finalists. The tours are free of charge. More info here.

ABOUT NORMAN BODEK

Norman Bodek is currently President of PCS Press Inc., a publishing, training and consulting firm based in Vancouver, Washington. Since the 1980s, Norman has led over 78 trips to Japan, visited over 250 plants and published more than 250 Japanese management books in English and other languages to bring the best of Japanese management theory to America. He is credited with discovering and publishing the works of Dr. Shigeo Shingo and Taiichi Ohno, the inventors of the Toyota Production System. Believing that you must see the process in action, Bodek has tirelessly conducted 50 study missions for inquisitive executives.

He was one of the first to find and publish books, training material, and run conferences and seminars on TPS (LEAN or JIT), SMED, CEDAC, Quality Control Circles, 5 S, Visual Factory, TPM, VSM, Kaizen Blitz, Cell Design, Poka-Yoke, Lean accounting, Andon, Hoshin Kanri, Kanban, and Quick and Easy Kaizen, and more. In 1988, he co-founded the Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence with Professor Vern Buehler at Utah State University. "I see the evolution of lean from the factory floor to human development. My goal is to find the best ways to grow employees in a way that will make us more competitive," explains Bodek. Bodek believes that lean again will come to the rescue of manufacturing in terms of providing a path to innovation.

In his journey, Norman also has forged close ties with great practitioners such as Dr W. Edwards Deming, Dr Joseph M. Juran, Mr Phil Crosby, Dr Kaoru Ishikawa, Dr Yoji Akao, Mr Taiichi Ohno, and, above all, Dr Shigeo Shingo.