Inaugural New England Lean Summit Keeps Lean Manufacturing Conversation Moving Conference spearheaded by Gateway quarterly columnist, Paul Critchley
This past summer marked the first inaugural New England Lean Summit, and it was a smashing success! Held on Sept. 12 and 13 in Cromwell, CT, 75 people were in attendance to learn more about Lean, Leadership and to network with like-minded individuals from the New England area.
Paul Critchley, President of New England Lean Consulting, put the event together for a few specific reasons.
“First, there used to be more conferences in our area that people could choose from”, Critchley said. “But not so much anymore. There used to be one at the University of New Hampshire, but they closed their Lean office, so I don’t think that one’s ever going to come back. Likewise, there used to be one in Portland every August, but that’s been on again, off again since 2020. So, we had a decision to make. We could accept that situation, or do something about it. We chose the latter”
So Critchley and the New England Lean team started putting their heads together to plan what they hoped would be a top-tier Lean event.
“Right out of the gate, we wanted to make our conference fun, in addition to delivering lots of value for our attendees. We’ve been to lots of conferences, and they’re all pretty much the same. You move from presentation to presentation all day, barely having any time to do anything else like visit vendors, talk with other attendees, or to get to know the presenters themselves. So, we decided that our conference would address each of those problems in a new and inventive way.”
And that’s just what they did. The New England Lean Summit featured 16 speakers and presenters, representing some of the best minds in Lean: renowned thought leaders, award-winning authors, top podcasters, and Lean practitioners who delivered 7 World-Class Workshops and 9 Sessions covering a wide array of Lean topics over the 2-day event.
Lots of Lean topics were covered, and there were multiple opportunities to learn from presenters. The first day featured 2-to-4-hour in-depth workshop opportunities – enough time to really dig into topics, as well as to engage in simulations so attendees could really get a feel for the practitioner side of things. Topics included Value Stream Mapping, Toyota Kata, Leadership Sustainability and Strategy Deployment, among others.
After a hearty lunch and a riveting keynote by Dr. Alan Robinson from UMASS/Amherst Isenberg School of Management, attendees enjoyed an afternoon of more in-depth workshops. Once the clock struck 5PM, it was time to relax a little bit at Lean Happy Hour – a 2-hour catered networking event, where
presenters, attendees, exhibitors and sponsors could hang out, talk and get to know each other on a personal level.
Day 2 picked up right where Day 1 left off with an amazing keynote entitled “The Praise Paradox” from award-winning author Elisabeth Swan. Elisabeth showed us that we all have incredible power to influence how people feel—which then affects how they perform. The vision we have of ourselves often fails to match the image held by those who work for or with us. Research shows that our work lives are much more gratifying when we have the kind of influence we want, and we all have the power to drive positive behavior in others. Praise, as Elisabeth showed us, is where it all starts. It was a moving and powerful presentation!
Day 2 featured nine 1 hour “Sessions”, where attendees could learn a little more about a variety of Lean topics. Attendees learned how to lead Lean initiatives in their organizations, structured problem solving, and how to embrace change in a positive, “moving forward” method.
Lunch on Day 2 was especially meaningful, as New England Lean staff and volunteers put together a fun game that was a loose cross between Shark Tank and Crimes Against Humanity. Summit attendees were grouped by table, and together had to apply Lean tools and principles to pitch a solution to a given problem to our expert panel of walrus’. It was a great team-building event, and we all had a lot of laughs!
After one more round of Sessions in the afternoon, it was time to wrap things up a little early on a beautiful late summer Friday afternoon in New England. Paul Critchley told a moving story about one of their clients’ Lean transformations, and how a 30+ year machinist at that company was able to enjoy more time with his family via instituting Lean thinking, all while producing more parts and making more money than he or the company ever had previously. It was proof-positive that when Lean is implemented correctly, it really is a powerful tool for everyone involved.
The day wrapped with several giveaways – autographed books, free online courses and the grand prize – a free registration to the 2025 New England Lean Summit! Final date is TBD as of this story, but it will be in the August-September timeframe. Be sure to check www.newenglandlean.com for up-to-date details!
