Introduction to Lean Leadership (1 Day Class)

Jim Luckman has had the unique experience of leading three separate lean transformations, as a Plant Manager, as a Director of a Research and Development Center, and as a CEO of a small start-up company. Jim is the Past President and CEO of iPower Technologies, a company serving the distributed generation market of electrical power. Luckman has worked in the auto industry for 34 years working at Delphi Automotive (formerly part of General Motors). Jim current efforts include leadership coaching, application of lean in R&D and application of lean to software development. He currently coaches companies interested in company-wide lean transformation. Jim is a partner in Lean Transformations Group, LLC

Dave came to LEI in February 2006 with over 30 years of experience in manufacturing and service companies. Prior to joining LEI, Dave was the General Manager of Parker Hannifin’s Climate Systems Division a position he held for five years. Previous to this position, Dave held a wide range of senior management positions within Eaton Corporation and Aeroquip-Vickers Corporation. In addition to his experience running businesses from a general management position, Dave has held a variety of senior management positions in Business Development, Operations Management, Management Development, Human Resources and Sales and Marketing. Dave has taught executive education classes on a wide variety of lean manufacturing, strategy development and management topics. Dave holds a Bachelors degree in liberal arts and a Masters degree in Organization Development from Bowling Green State University.

Joe has developed the knowledge of lean concepts and principles over the past 18 years while he held senior leadership positions in domestic and international settings. Through extensive coaching by retired executives from Toyota Motor Company in the early 90’s, Joe developed an aptitude for maximizing product velocity and managing operations through simple visual means. This knowledge was further applied as Joe became General Manager of Chengdu Aerotech, China’s first aviation industry joint venture, and was able to integrate the elements of strategy deployment, organizational development, facility design and Lean into one cohesive business management approach. As Director of North American Operations for Ensign Bickford, he led the Company to win the Shingo Prize for operational excellence. He effectively utilized his knowledge of lean manufacturing to help Sterling Collision Centers grow from a startup to a company with 50 locations nationally (now part of Allstate Insurance Company). As Vice President of Manufacturing for the Kamatics division of Kaman Corporation, he restructured operations to double on-time delivery performance while reducing lead times by 88% for 2/3 of products. Since 2003 he has been helping clients achieve superior operating gains through Murli & Associates SP. Joe has undergraduate degrees in Manufacturing Engineering and Accounting from the State University of New York, and Post University respectively. Additionally, he holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Connecticut.

Prior to joining LEI faculty, Chris worked for Wells Fargo as Divisional Operations Senior Vice President. During his last 10 years at Wells Fargo, he focused on forming a new division based on the blend of lean principles, culture and tools. Over a 5-year period, this division achieved the following results: Productivity Increase 136%, Lead Time Reduction 65%, Quality Increase 54%, Annualized Team Member Turnover of less than 6%. The Wells Fargo lean transformation included institutionalizing a lean learning model, establishing standardized work and process flow, integrating employee process improvement, transforming the management culture from directive / hierarchal to Socratic problem solving, standardized work for leadership, and making office processes visible and visual. Chris currently works directly with business leaders to drive customer value using the principles and tools of lean through his company Compass Affiliates.