NEW ORLEANS, La. — Officials from Louisiana Economic Development (LED), the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME), and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Louisiana (MEPOL), a sponsored program of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, will sign a memorandum of understanding to create the first Center for Lean Excellence on Thursday, Oct. 4, at the University of New Orleans. AME has donated $50,000 to help fund the center’s creation using a portion of the group’s Katrina Fund generated from its 2006 National Conference. LED will provide a 100 percent funding match to support the endeavor.
The Center for Lean Excellence will not only educate companies from the areas impacted by hurricanes Katrina and Rita on lean tools to help them return to business, but also educate and facilitate the positive transformation of Louisiana’s industry and government.
“Companies small and large across South Louisiana are turning the hurricanes’ impact into an opportunity to improve their business models,” said Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Michael J. Olivier. “This center will provide a new resource for those looking to become more efficient and successful. We see this as a way for Louisiana to lead the nation in the transition to lean manufacturing processes.”
The event will take place in New Orleans tomorrow at a workshop where business leaders from the impacted areas will learn more about lean principles.
The Association for Manufacturing Excellence is a not-for-profit association of over 5,000 members dedicated to the sharing of knowledge on leading-edge topics that help companies stay competitive in a global marketplace. AME cultivates understanding, helps members analyze and exchange ideas on productivity methods, and teaches how these methods can be successfully applied in the pursuit of excellence. For more information, visit http://www.ame.org
MEPOL, a University of Louisiana at Lafayette program, is a non-profit dedicated to the promotion of Louisiana’s manufacturers. As part of the nationwide National Institute of Technology’s (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), MEPOL has a built-in network to assist manufacturers in a myriad of professional services including lean manufacturing, grant assistance, prototyping, and marketing. For more information, visit http://www.mepol.org
