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The Weekly Report – Dec. 6, 2021
Manufacturing workshops have come on strong. Now they are live!
A good indicator of the vitality of Minnesota’s manufacturing sector – particularly among small and medium sized operations – has been the growing popularity of Enterprise Minnesota’s meetings. We regularly host sessions that discuss hot topics that help manufacturers improve their businesses.
This is probably the legacy of tumult left by the COVID-era economy. On one hand there are manufacturers who have experienced sharp spikes in the demand for their products. They are looking for ways to improve their productivity just to keep up. At the same time, other manufacturers have been hurt – some, badly – by market forces. They are looking to improve their operations in ways to curb the losses until things bounce back. And then, of course, everyone is trying to cope with chronic workforce shortages.
We have been offering our workshops by Zoom, but now we’re starting to come back with in-person events. Here’s a taste of what we have to offer:
January 6 – Developing Your Leaders From Within – In-person workshop
Learn more and register.
Michele Neale, one of our top talent and leadership consultants, will show you how to develop your future leaders from existing employees. You’ll learn the traits of emerging leaders and how to foster a culture of growth and productivity. Michele will share steps you can take to develop team members into leaders. Whether potential “up and comers” or existing leaders, these techniques can elevate your leadership team and strengthen your bench.
What to expect:
- Understanding the process for leadership development
- Determining competencies needed for a strong leadership team
- Building a plan for future leader development
January 12 – Profiting from Revenue Growth – Virtual workshop
Learn more and register
Steve Haarstad, one of our most experienced strategy and revenue growth experts, will address ways to generate business growth by growing your bottom line. Steve will share the key to growing profitably is understanding what growth means to your company and how you will get there. Defining your unique value proposition and ideal customer is a cornerstone for developing a plan to achieve sustainable business growth.
Steve will show:
- Growth planning fundamentals
- How to assess your unique value proposition
- Defining your ideal customer characteristics
- The Seven-Step Growth Action Plan
- How to measure and monitor success
February 9 – A Model for Manufacturing Excellence Using ISO 9001 – Virtual workshop
Learn more and register
ISO certification and audit expert Keith Gadacz will share his wisdom on the value of the business management system ISO 9001:2015 and how it can take your operation from average to excellent.
Workshop takeaways include:
- How to use ISO certification in pursuit of operational excellence
- How the components of ISO 9001 work together as a tool to manage your business
- The role management plays in coordinating your critical business process flows
February 22 – Creating a Culture of Continuous Improvement – In-person workshop – North Branch
Learn more and register
Ally Johnston, one of Enterprise Minnesota’s best continuous improvement experts, will show you the value that a culture of engagement and lean thinking can bring to your company. Big CI events are important tools but leveraging incremental daily improvements can yield big results and help your next kaizen or 5s stick. This can help your business continue to meet customer demands, improve the bottom line and retain your employees.
Ideally, you will leave the workshop understanding how:
- Small improvements can add significant value by compounding over time
- To incorporate lean thinking into all areas of your organization
- Employee engagement is key to CI and overall employee retention
- Improved productivity starts at the top
March 10 – Automate with Purpose – In-person workshop – Mankato
Learn more and register
Greg Langfield, Enterprise Minnesota continuous improvement and ISO expert, will show his passion and depth of experience using automation inside a manufacturing environment. He’ll demonstrate how a systematic automation approach through the strategic use of employees will support long-term productivity improvements and be done the right way (hint – think lower cost!).
Workshop takeaways include:
- How to optimize people and production to meet goals despite labor shortages
- Understanding the automation horizon
- Connections between automation and continuous improvement thinking
- The Three P’s – The first step
Register for these workshops and find other upcoming events on our website.
Click here to visit the Events page.
Events Calendar
December 14 – Enhancing Your Strategic Planning and Implementation
Strategy and Revenue Growth expert Steve Haarstad will demonstrate ways to approach strategic planning for the short and long term and why strategic planning shouldn’t be solely for the CEO. Online via Zoom Learn more and register
January 6 – Developing Your Leaders From Within
Join us IN PERSON in Dassel, MN for a manufacturing workshop with expert Michele Neale on ways to develop your future organizational leaders, including how to define the competencies you need and making a plan for success. Learn more and register
January 12 – Profiting from Revenue Growth
Expert Steve Haarstad will address ways to generate business growth by growing your bottom line. Learn growth planning fundamentals and how to create a Seven-Step Growth Action Plan. Online via Zoom Learn more and register
Industry News
Supply chain trouble takes big bite out of MN’s small food producers
Every food company faces the same problems of shortages and delays, but the small ones lack cash and size needed to get products on time and within budget. December 4, Star Tribune Read more
Duluth metro area ranks No. 32 in nation for work in manufacturing
In its sixth annual study, SmartAsset analyzed data for 378 metro areas to find the best places to work in manufacturing and Duluth ranks near the top. December 3, Business North Read more
State program aims to fill job vacancies, retain jobs through education
MN DEED grants awarded to schools like Minnesota State University Mankato and South Central College will help train new and existing workers for higher-level roles as leaders near retirement. December 2, Mankato Free Press Read more
U.S. manufacturing activity continues growth in November
The Institute for Supply Management released November figures that show continued growth in the manufacturing sector, which has recorded 18 straight months of growth going back to spring 2020. December 1, Finance & Commerce Read more
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Enterprise Minnesota is dedicated to helping Minnesota manufacturers grow profitably. If you are interested in receiving The Weekly Report to your inbox, please visit our subscription page.