Conference will share ideas on improving U.S. furniture production

Event will take place in Greensboro, N.C., on May 21

Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, March 1, 2010

GREENSBORO, N.C. — A one-day program packed with practical strategies for improving efficiency at U.S. manufacturing operations will take place here May 21.

Although it is sponsored by the American Home Furnishings Alliance, the 2010 Manufacturing Summit is open to all interested executives. Companies don't have to be AHFA members to register.

Leading off the 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. program at the Airport Embassy Suites will be Jeremy Leonard, an economic consultant for Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI Inc. who has researched the cost pressures affecting U.S. manufacturing competitiveness and the sources of productivity growth. He will give an overview of the state of manufacturing, drawing on MAPI's most recent quarterly economic forecast.

Other speakers will include:

• Jerry Epperson, managing director of Mann, Armistead & Epperson Ltd., Richmond, Va., who will give a furniture industry overview.

• Robert Camp, an authority on benchmarking and a 23-year Xerox veteran. He is the author of "Benchmarking: The Search for Industry Best Practices that Lead to Superior Performance."

• Randy Cook, a Utah State University professor and director of education with the Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence, which is named for a Japanese industrial engineer who became one of the world's top experts on improving manufacturing processes. Cook will offer insights to the Shingo Prize philosophy, which emphasizes using lean principles, systems, tools and techniques to create a culture of continuous improvement.

Registration is $149 for AHFA member company executives and $249 for those from non-member companies. The fee includes an opening reception at the Embassy Suites Thursday evening, May 20, and lunch on Friday, May 21. Register online at www.ahfa.us. Under the Events tab, click on Manufacturing Summit.

Hotel reservations can be made by contacting the Embassy Suites at (336) 668-4535 or via its Web site at www.embassysuitesgreensboro.com.