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Past Programs: 2006 - 2007
Wednesday, May 9, 2007 - Manufacturing Plant Tour: HydroGen LLC
Location:
2 Juniper Street, Versailles, PA
(see directions below)
About the event:
HydroGen LLC is a fuel cell company. Our Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cells (PAFC) are based on technology developed by Westinghouse Advanced Energy Systems in conjunction with the US Department of Energy (DOE) in the 1980’s and early 1990’s. HydroGen LLC is focusing on supplying stationary power generation capabilities based on this technology to chemical industries that produce hydrogen as a by-product. This hydrogen can be used to produce electricity on a continuous basis, thereby reducing dependency on utility-provided electricity. Currently in the start-up phase of operations in Versailles, PA, HydroGen LLC is recapturing the base production capability used by Westinghouse to produce 400kW PAFC Modules that are the building blocks of 2MW power islands.
Cost:
$25 (reservation & advanced credit card payment required via ESWP at 412-261-4300)
Time:
5:30pm social/networking; 6:00 Dinner followed by a brief presentation; 7:00 tour
NOTE: Attendance is Limited to the first 30 Registrants
Directions:
Directions from North or East:
1. Take the PA Turnpike or I376E to the Pittsburgh (Monroeville) exit.
2. Turn south on RT48 at it’s intersection with US22 in Monroeville.
3. Continue south on RT48 (Orange Belt) about 12 miles.
4. RT48 makes a left turn at a T intersection in Versailles.
5. Continue on RT48S through the traffic light at McDonald’s/Olympia Shopping Center.
6. Go three (3) blocks and make a right turn onto Juniper Street.
7. Continue on Juniper Street, across the RR tracks to HydroGen on the immediate left.
Directions from Southwest (Washington, PA) and South:
1. I-70E towards Bentleyville.
2. Exit 46B onto PA-51N. Stay on PA-51 for 7.2 miles.
3. Turn right at Scenery Drive/PA-48/Orange Belt. Follow for 2.1 miles.
4. Turn left with Orange Belt/PA-48 and follow it for another 5.6 miles.
5. After entering Versailles, turn left at Juniper Street.
6. Continue on Juniper Street, across the RR tracks to HydroGen on the immediate left.
Directions from West (Mt. Lebanon):
1. North on US-19-Truck toward Florence Pl.
2. Turn right at Blue Belt. Continue on Blue Belt for 2.3 miles.
3. Turn left at Blue Belt/Library Road/PA-88.
4. Turn right at PA-51 and continue for 3.6 miles.
5. Turn right onto the ramp to PA-885/McKeesport/West Mifflin.
6. Merge onto Yellow Belt. Continue for 6.3 miles.
7. Turn right at Walnut Street/PA-148. Continue about 3 miles
8. Turn right on Juniper Street, across the RR tracks to HydroGen on the immediate left.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007 - Topic: Simulation Modeling for Lean
Location:
Highland Country Club
PLEASE NOTE THE LOCATION CHANGE FOR THE MAY MEETING
About the program:
Becoming more lean means that organizations will have to design new processes, change and reduce process steps, and, for manufacturing companies, buy, replace or move machinery and assembly stations. There are risks involved with these changes involving unrealized expectations and financial benefits, unidentified customer service and quality problems, and creation of new, unexpected problems. To prevent these problems, computer-based simulation modeling is a valuable tool for testing various process situations quickly and at very low cost. During this presentation, Dr. Dale Flowers, will provide information on ways that simulation modeling can be used to improve any type of organizational, business or manufacturing process. This will include information on how processes are modeled, the type of available modeling systems, results obtained from modeling, and how the results should be used by the organization.
About the presenter:
Dr. Flowers is on the Faculty of Operations Management at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH. He teaches courses in manufacturing planning and control systems and in Six Sigma to both engineering and business students at Case Western Reserve University. He received his doctoral degree in Production and Operations Management from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. Dr. Flowers has received outstanding teacher awards from both Universities where he has taught in his career, and his research has earned awards from the Institute of Industrial Engineers and the Institute for Operations Research and Management Science. He serves on several Boards for companies in Northeast Ohio, and is a part owner of Storm Software Inc. He served as the founding Co-Director for The Institute of Management and Engineering (TiME), a joint effort of the Weatherhead School of Management and the Case School of Engineering.
Cost:
$25 (reservation & advanced credit card payment required via ESWP at 412-261-4300. Please provide your name, company name, title and e-mail address.)
Time:
5:30pm for a short networking session then a catered buffet dinner, and presentation of the topic.
Attire:
Business Casual
NOTE: THE REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS MONDAY, MAY 21st
Thank you for continued support of the Lean Sigma Focus Group. The Lean Sigma Focus Group is an open forum, and non-members are encouraged to attend and bring others to the meetings.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007 –
!! Double Event – 0.6 ASQ Recert. Units !!
Location: Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania
ASQ-Pittsburgh is pleased to announce that Joel Smith of Minitab will present 2 Programs!!
1st Program (starts at 6pm):
MINITAB: Data Analysis from Your Backyard
2nd Program (7:30pm):
Put Down Your Pencil and Calculator and Do SPC
About the 1st Program…
Over 30 years ago, MINITAB “1” was created right here in Pennsylvania. Since then, the product has grown to become the world leader in quality statistics and the company has grown to include multiple products. The program will give a brief history of how the company has grown globally while keeping its roots firmly planted in Pennsylvania and an overview of its current products.
About the 2nd Program…
Don’t know statistics? Effective SPC does not require number-crunching. With a statistics package (like MINITAB), all you have to do is look at a picture! This program will show how anyone can use simple graphics such as run charts and control charts to effectively monitor process control – no calculator required.
About the Speaker…
Joel Smith’s lectures include: "Advanced Tips and Tricks in Minitab 14"; "Assessing Quality with Non-normal Data"; Statistical Applications from Dr. Deming"; and "Ranking D-1 College Football Teams: An Objective Approach". Before joining MINITAB, Mr. Smith received a BS in Chemical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and a MS in Statistics from Virginia Tech. In addition, Mr. Smith is a BMG-certified Six Sigma Black Belt.
Cost:
$25 (reservation & advanced credit card payment required via ESWP at 412-261-4300)
Time:
5:30pm social/networking; 6:00 1st Program; 6:45 Dinner; 7:30 – 8:30 2nd Program
Directions to Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania
Wednesday, March 14, 2006 –
Tour: MEDRAD
Location: MEDRAD Heilman Center, RIDC Park (NOT Indianola Headquarters)
ASQ-Pittsburgh is pleased to announce that MEDRAD, a 2003 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient, is hosting a tour of its Heilman Center, located in RIDC Park in O’Hara Township, Pennsylvania.
The Heilman Center contains MEDRAD’s vascular injection system production, magnetic resonance (MR) coils and accessories production, research and testing labs, MEDRAD Service, and Multi-Vendor Service operations.
Please link to
www.medrad.com/about-medrad
for more information about MEDRAD.
Cost:
$25 (reservation & advanced credit card payment required via ESWP at 412-261-4300)
Time:
5:30pm registration, 5:45pm dinner followed by a presentation & tour
Directions to MEDRAD Heilman Center, RIDC Park
NOTE: Attendance is Limited to the first 40 Registrants
Tuesday, February 27, 2007 - Factory Physics
Moderator/Coordinator – Don Klesser
Location - Forbes Road Career & Technology Center
The February session includes a short networking session with catered dinner, and a presentation of the topic.
PLEASE NOTE THE LOCATION CHANGE FOR THE FEBRUARY MEETING
The topic of the February LeanSigma Focus Group meeting is "Factory Physics". Factory Physics is the term used to describe the underlying foundation of 'why lean manufacturing works'. However, this session will not be a technical discussion; but instead will be a novel overview of why all processes, including non-manufacturing processes, behave as they do. For example, why do we have to work overtime to meet demand, when all of our processes have excess capacity? When process fundamentals are considered, linkages among lean manufacturing, Six Sigma and the Theory of Constraints become evident. As a result there are some process basics that can be applied to any process to reduce costs and increase reliability. Join us on February 27 as Don Klesser presents information on Factory Physics. Mr. Klesser is VP-Continuous Improvement and Quality for PTC Alliance headquartered in Pittsburgh.
Location:
Forbes Road Career & Technology Center (607 Beatty Road, Monroeville, PA)
Directions to Forbes Road Career & Technology Center
Cost:
The inclusive cost is $25 per person.
Dinner & Program:
5:30pm – 8:00pm Attire is Business Casual.
Advanced registration for this event (and for future events) must be made through ESWP (call 412-261-4300) by credit card. Please provide your name, company name, title and e-mail address.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007 –
Double Event – 0.6 ASQ Recert. Units !!
1st Presenter (before dinner): Louis Hart, Ph.D.
1st Program: Saving Money with Bad Statistics
2nd Presenter (after dinner): George Gross
2nd Program: An Automated Approach to Quantitative Risk Analysis for Medical Devices
Moderator/Coordinator: Paul Degonish
Location: ESWP
About the 1st Program...
When was the last time you were told “It’s OK to be sloppy?”
Engineers and statisticians are reputed to be in exacting disciplines, yet there are numerous times when imprecise analysis works well. Come hear interesting stories about how one has saved companies money using some sloppy data analysis.
About the 1st Speaker...
Lou Hart is a Technology Transfer Specialist who evaluates inventions and new technologies for commercial potential at the National Technology Transfer Center in Wheeling, West Virginia. During a career that has spanned 25 years, Dr. Hart has worked in quality management and engineering for various electronics, medical device and consumer products companies, and has taught college-level physics and mathematics. Lou received his Ph.D. in physics from Duke University, is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and is an ASQ Certified Reliability Engineer.
About the 2nd Program...
This program focuses on leveraging an integrated software tool to automate quantitative risk analyses for medical devices. The ISO 14971 standard requires that medical device companies perform a quantitative risk analysis on their medical devices. While ISO 14971 was developed specifically for medical device companies, it is considered as a general guideline for non-medical device organizations as well. The presentation will provide a definition and the benefits of quantitative risk analysis as well as how an integrated software package can streamline that effort.
About the 2nd Speaker...
George Gross is responsible for Relex Software sales, seminars, and trade shows for the entire Eastern United States. Prior to joining Relex Software in Greensburg three years ago, George worked in a number of sales and engineering capacities over his 16-year career, including high-availability network design, ERP implementations, and managed data center services. While attending Penn State University, George majored in Computer Science and minored in Computer Engineering. He’s planning on taking the ASQ-sponsored Certified Reliability Engineer exam in March. He is married and has two sons, 8 and 6, who keep him busy with all of their sports interests. George tries to get a little guitar playing in between their games and is a huge Pittsburgh sports fan.
Relex Software (www.relex.com) was founded with a mission to produce a superior line of software analysis tools for the reliability engineering discipline. As the Company grew, that mission was broadened to encompass support and services including consulting, implementation, training, and customer service. Today, Relex Reliability Studio is the most advanced reliability tool set available. The Company has an unmatched track record and a “Who’s Who” customer base of over 3,000 customers in a variety of businesses around the globe, including: Bombardier; Boeing; Cisco Systems; Dade Behring; General Electric; General Motors; Hitachi; Intel; Israeli Aircraft Industries; Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Motorola; NASA; Northrop Grumman; NSA; Philips Consumer Electronics; SAIC; Samsung Electronics; Sandia National Laboratories; Siemens; and the US Navy.
Cost:
$25 (reservation & advanced credit card payment required via ESWP at 412-261-4300)
Time:
5:30pm social/networking; 6:00 1st Program; 6:45 Dinner; 7:30 2nd Program
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Thursday, January 25, 2007 - Design for Six Sigma.
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Moderator/Coordinator – Don Klesser
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Location - La Roche College Main Campus, Ryan Room
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The January session includes a short networking session with a cash bar, full buffet dinner, and a presentation of the topic.
NOTE - Registration for this program is closed !
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The topic of the presentation is "Design for Six Sigma". The typical Six Sigma effort involves improvement of an existing process to reduce variation and improve the quality of the results. However, when an organization is interested in designing and implementing a new process, the Six Sigma DMAIC approach is less effective. In this case, Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) methods are applied. This presentation will cover the basic differences of DFSS from Six Sigma; pros, cons, challenges and pitfalls in moving from DMAIC to DFSS; use of DFSS for marketing; and methods used in DFSS. Join us on January 25 as Bill Rushmore presents information on Design for Six Sigma. Mr. Rushmore teaches and operates his own company that consults in Six Sigma based improvement, IT systems, and process development.
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Location: La Roche College Main Campus, Ryan Room.
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Cost: The inclusive cost is $25 per person..
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Dinner & Program: 5:30pm – 8:00pm Attire is Business Casual.
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Advanced registration for this event (and for future events) must be made through ESWP (call 412-261-4300) by credit card. Please provide your name, company name, title and e-mail address.
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Wednesday, January 10, 2007 - Tour: Mine Safety Appliances Company (MSA)
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Location - 1000 Cranberry Woods Drive, Cranberry Township PA
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The Cranberry Township Plant of Mine Safety Appliances Company (MSA) will be opening its doors to ASQ Pittsburgh members for a plant tour on Jan. 10, 2007 (6PM start). The Cranberry facility manufactures electronic equipment for the safety industry including gas detection instruments, communication products for the military, and electronic modules that interface with personal protective equipment such as Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA). The session will include an overview of MSA’s organization and facilities, a brief discussion of continuous improvement activities within MSA, and the plant tour.
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Cost: The cost is $25 per person - advanced credit card payment required through ESWP (call 412-261-4300).
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Time: 6:00 pm registration, followed by brief presentation, tour & dinner
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NOTE: Attendance is Limited to the first 40 Registrants.
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Directions:
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1. FROM I-79 (North of the junction with I-279).
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2. Take I-79 EXIT 78 onto PA-228 (Cranberry/Mars).
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3. Take PA-228 EAST toward MARS (about 1/4 mile).
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4. Turn RIGHT onto CRANBERRY WOODS DRIVE.
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5. Take the 3rd RIGHT after the STOP SIGN (follow “ASQ” signs).
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6. PARK in an available space in the PARKING LOT.
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7. ENTER the only entrance of the Building facing the parking lot.
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8. Inside the entrance, WAIT to be escorted by an ASQ or MSA representative.
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Wednesday, December 6, 2006 - Holiday Dinner Event .
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Presenter – Hank Sobah
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Location - Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania
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Please join Hank Sobah for a Bluegrass Lecture on Teaming and Leadership with the bluegrass band, Well Strung. Spouses/guests are welcome!
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The concepts of teaming and leadership are part of the foundation for successful organizational performance. Often it is important for leadership to surface from all levels of the organization. Additionally, everyone including the formal leadership needs to be willing to and able to work together to make and organization perform with any degree of success. This is also the same foundation that drives a successful bluegrass band. These concepts will be illustrated using the members and music of the Well Strung band to show often misunderstood and misapplied concepts of Teaming and Leadership.
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Cost: The cost is $25 per person - advanced credit card payment required through ESWP (call 412-261-4300).
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Time: 6:00-6:45pm social / networking; 6:45 dinner; 7:30 program
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Wednesday, November 8, 2006
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Moderator/Coordinator – Julian Berarducci
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Joint Meeting with ASNT, Plant Tour, Dinner, and a Presenter
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About the Tour...
Join us for a tour of the Penn Brewery located on the North Side of Pittsburgh. See first hand how beer is made and the quality control techniques employed in the brewing process.
There will be appetizers of soft pretzels, cheese and crackers. Then after the tour we will enjoy a German Style buffet featuring knackwurst and bratwurst in kraut, sauerbraten, black forest chicken, spaetzle, hot German potato salad, red cabbage, potato cakes and tossed green salad. Drinks and desert are extras.
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About the Presenter...
Following the buffet our guest speaker will be Mike Crossen, the author of the Mr. Pareto Head Comic Strip in Quality Progress Magazine. The comic strip has appeared in the magazine each month for the past 6-1/2 years. Mike will discuss the origins of the comic strip and share some drawings and characters that never made it to print. He will also share stories and inspirations behind some of his personal favorite characters and strips.
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Mike is an ASQ member and is certified by ASQ as Quality Manager (CQ Manager), Quality Engineer (CQE), and Quality Auditor (CQA). He has a bachelor of science in electronics technology, Cleveland State University 1996 – and has completed six sigma black belt training. He has been employed for the past year by the Cleveland Clinic as a Quality Manager in the Quality and Patent Safety Institute. He was previously employed at Rockwell Automation, Allen Bradley, for 27 years, most recently as a Process Quality Engineer in the Twinsburg, Ohio facility.
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Mike is married with one child and a grandchild. He enjoys playing music and currently plays Guitar, Madeline and Dobro in a bluegrass band.
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Location: Penn Brewery - Located on the North Side of Pittsburgh.
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Cost: $25.00 per person.
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Time: 6:00pm
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Call the Engineering Society of Western Pennsylvania at 412-261-4300 to make your reservations. The tour will be limited to 60 people, so make your reservations soon since this is a joint meeting.
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LEARN MORE ABOUT PENN BREWERY AND GET DIRECTIONS
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Thursday, October 26, 2006 - Lean Product Development.
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Moderator/Coordinator – Don Klesser
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Location - Highland Country Club
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The October session includes a short networking session with a cash bar, full buffet dinner catered by Highland Country Club, and a presentation of the topic.
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The topic of the presentation is ‘Lean Product Development’. Join us on October 26 as the Catalyst Connection organization shares information on effective product development using lean methods.
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Location: Highland Country Club - located off I-279 North, Exit 14, West View (north).
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Cost: The cost is $25 (cash or check payable to “ASQ-Pittsburgh”) at the door.
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Dinner & Program: 5:30pm – 8:00pm Attire is Business Casual.
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A RESERVATION IS REQUIRED FOR ATTENDANCE. ALSO, PLEASE, NO CANCELLATIONS AFTER MONDAY, OCTOBER 23.
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To reserve your seat to this session, please send an email with the following information to
WCopeland@hydrogenllc.com by Monday, October 23rd.
Name: ______________________________
Title: _____________________________
Company Name: ______________________
Preferred email address for confirmation: ______________________
We will return a confirmation of your reservation and additional information.
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Tuesday, October 3, 2006
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Faces of Quality / Future of Quality (a panel discussion)
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Location: Grazie! Restaurant, Monroeville PA (inside Club 4 Life – formerly Oxford Athletic Club, above Monroeville Mall (412.856.9030))
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About the Program...
ASQ-Pittsburgh and the Council on Realizing Excellence in Management (CoREM) are pleased to host a panel of respected representatives from four fields which highlight the diversity of today’s “Faces of Quality”. The panelists will describe how Quality affects their organizations and share insights into future quality challenges.
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About the Panelists...
- Rose Almon-Martin is the Vice President of Performance Excellence and Marketing Services for MEDRAD, INC.
- Edward D. Yankovich, Jr. is currently United Mine Workers of America, International District 2 Vice President.
- Mark C. Paulk, Ph.D. is a Senior Systems Scientist at the IT Services Qualification Center at Carnegie Mellon University.
- Peter L. Perreiah is Managing Director, Pittsburgh Regional Healthcare Initiative (PRHI).
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Cost: $25.00 To register, contact ESWP 412-261-4300.
When registering for the program, please select one of the following entrees...
- Steak Marinated Sirloin Steak with Sautéed Mushrooms and Onions
- Vegetarian Pasta Putanesca... banana peppers, spinach, tomatoes, black olives, mushrooms in a white wine, oil and garlic sauce over Fettuccini. Soup or Salad Choice.
- Chicken Pasta ala Catherine... sautéed spinach, garlic, back olives, artichokes and tomatoes all in a sun dried tomato basil pesto sauce. Soup or Salad Choice.
- Fish Grilled... Mahi Mahi topped with Caribbean Jerk Salsa
- Shrimp Grilled... (if not to perfection, probably at least in compliance with an applicable spec.)
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Registration/Networking: 6:00pm
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Dinner: 6:15pm
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Panel Discussion: 7:00pm – 8:30pm
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Tuesday, September 26, 2006 - Process Mapping.
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Moderator/Coordinator – Don Klesser
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Location - Highland Country Club
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The September session includes a short networking session with a cash bar, full buffet dinner catered by Highland Country Club, and a presentation of the topic.
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The topic of the presentation is ‘Process Mapping’. Effective processes are key to the day-to-day operations of any successful organization; and Process Mapping techniques that can be applied to capture high level overviews, as well as transactional level activities. Join us on September 26 as members of Medrad’s Performance Excellence Consulting group share insights to Process Mapping for improvement.
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Location: Highland Country Club - located off I-279 North, Exit 14, West View (north).
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Cost: The cost is $25 (cash or check payable to “ASQ-Pittsburgh”) at the door.
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Tour & Dinner : 5:30pm – 8:00pm Attire is Business Casual.
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A RESERVATION IS REQUIRED FOR ATTENDANCE. ALSO, PLEASE, NO CANCELLATIONS AFTER SEPTEMBER 22.
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To reserve your seat to this session, please send an email with the following information to
WCopeland@hydrogenllc.com by Friday, September 22nd.
Name: ______________________________
Title: _____________________________
Company Name: ______________________
Preferred email address for confirmation: ______________________
We will return a confirmation of your reservation and additional information.
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Wednesday, September 13, 2006
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Moderator/Coordinator – Sailesh Kapadia
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Performance Excellence at Highmark
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Presenter: Margaret A. Fetzick, CQM, SPHR
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Location: Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania
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About the Program...
Performance Excellence is a strategic initiative to continually improve our work -- finding better, faster and less expensive ways to provide improved services and products to our customers. We believe the essence of performance excellence is meeting or exceeding the performance requirements of our customers by providing informed, professional counsel and superior services while managing in a fiscally responsible manner. To accomplish this, we must understand the expectations of our customers, limit errors, and reduce costs by continuously improving our processes. All of us, management and staff, share the responsibility for performance excellence. We have one standard of performance, and that is excellence.
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About the Speaker...
Margaret Smith Fetzick, SPHR (Senior Professional Human Resources) ASQ-CQ Manager
- B. S. Business Administrration - Management/Marketing, Duquesne University
- M. S. Human Resources - Organizational Development and Training, LaRoche College
- Corporate Advisory Board - Pennsylvania Women Work!
- Currently pursuing M.B.A. at Point Park University
Margaret is a Performance Excellence Consultant at Highmark Inc. She has worked for Highmark for 9 years and previously with Pitney Bowes for 14 years as well as in retail management positions.
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Cost: $25.00 advance reservation or at the door (ESWP 412-261-4300).
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Social Hour: 6:30pm – 6:45pm
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Dinner: 6:45pm – 7:30pm
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Program: 7:30pm – 8:30pm
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