The Continuous Improvement Consortium

Member Owned – Member Facilitated

1861 Nimitz Drive – De Pere, WI 54115 – 920.425.1005

Introduction As you know, there is tremendous pressure on organizations to implement solutions that will make them more profitable and effective, both today and in the future. We believe that companies coming together in a Consortium will provide such a solution. The benefits of membership in the Continuous Improvement Consortium are unique, value-added and programmed for your success. What is a CI Consortium? A CI Consortium is a structured group of non-competing organizations who come together with a commitment to attaining World Class performance through people and process improvement. What are the Benefits for My Organization? There is a multitude of terms and initiatives infiltrating organizations today … Lean Enterprise, Six Sigma, ISO, Theory of Constraints, the Toyota Production System, Continuous Flow, Just-in-Time, High Performance Culture, Continuous Improvement … all of these can be confusing, overwhelming, and seemingly costly to companies. The goal of the CONSORTIUM is to cut through the rhetoric and introduce tools, techniques and strategies that can help participating companies to implement sustainable solutions in the fastest time possible.

The CI Consortium will: Consist of 2 people from each company who will come together as a group to share best practices, share knowledge, share skill sets, share strategies and accelerate training. Bring in the best talent from around to facilitate learning sessions, workshops and events – based on your feedback and requests – that will improve your organization’s bottom line. The costs are significantly reduced as they are shared with your fellow member companies. Have a group of seasoned practitioners acting as mentors, coaches and facilitators to your company and other members of the CONSORTIUM. Our team has implemented World Class concepts in 100’s of different companies/organizations. Our coaches are all former practitioners and have held positions at various levels in their respective former organizations with an average of 20+ years of experience. Tailor workshops, in-house training and implementation to suit the needs of member companies. The vast majority of the consortium programming is controlled by the member companies and is geared toward their specific needs.

Form Special Interest Groups (SIG’s) from within the membership. These groups meet on a regular basis to discuss issues specific to their area of operation. Proven examples include groups focused on Green/Sustainability, Safety, Lean Culture, Supply Chain Management, Leadership, Sales and Marketing, Accounting, Training, Benchmarking, Supervisory, Executive and Human Resources … to name a few. Keep you informed about what is happening in the manufacturing industry in North America and around the world, and communicate this to all members through a bi-weekly newsletter. Provide access to a shared library of world-class business resources including training materials, books, videos and periodicals. These resources are free and at the disposal of the member companies. Determine who has a “best practice” site, and arrange exchanges and visits that will allow our member companies to learn and “borrow with pride.” Membership to the CI Consortium’s web space will provide access to leverage with consortium members’ events, and research opportunities. Network with other similar groups, consortiums, and industry organizations to accelerate member learning.

Who is Facilitating this Group of Companies? Optima Associates, Inc. located in De Pere, WI as a member of of the CIC will act as facilitators and manage the database. Our goal is to help local companies stay competitive and be able to offset the pressures of global competition. Our vision is “Creating process excellence through continuous improvement.” Our success has come through achieving sustainable, positive results in organizations. We facilitate and work extensively with other successful consortiums in North America. We focus on improvements at the organization’s site by involving the process owners. The following two deliverables have been and always will be paramount in our offerings: 1. Change the thinking … we as organizations have to believe that there is a better way to run our businesses. Once we can change the thinking to embrace a continuous improvement environment, we will be on the road to success. 2. Coach to competence … we don’t want to remain in a company for too long. The improvement process must reside with the people who are doing the job. We want to teach the people how to use the tools.

Why a Consortium? • U.S. structural costs are 17% higher compare to overseas. 2009 Nicolet National Bank Survey

• Business Strategies are not being realized: • WMEP Next Generation Survey Responses: • 80% of respondents rated customer focusedinnovation as very important to their organization, but only 22 percent have invested more than 5% of their sales towards it. • 89% said talent development and retention were important or very important, but only 35% have invested more than 20 hours per employee in annual training.

• 94% rated systematic continuous improvement as important to very important, but only 18% has senior staff monitoring process improvements. • How Do We Stay Focused and Accountable to define and implement Continuous Improvement year after year?

Why a Consortium?

2% - Achieved World Class

24% - Significant Progress

74% - Little or No Progress

The CI Consortium Norms? Each member company will be required to: Host at least one meeting annually Provide a tour to participating companies when requested Faithfully attend all group meetings Hold members accountable to both the group and their own company

Engage in information and idea exchanges to help the team learn and improve in their CI initiatives and capabilities Build professional relationships/friendships that carry beyond the scheduled meetings Submit an annual membership fee

Following is a summary of the consortium model and its major components. The Board is responsible for determining the exact programming and expectations:

Who Will Form the Consortium? The Consortium will consist of 12 non-competing companies or organizations within close geographic proximity, which are committed to mutual success. Each company will designate one person, and their alternate, to sit on a “Board” and map the direction of the CONSORTIUM. The Board will be made up of company decision-makers, and will be facilitated by Optima to provide insight, ideas, and experience when requested and warranted. The facilitaotr will also provide coordination and ongoing support for events and services that are mandated by the Board. While the company has both designates and alternates to represent the company at the board meetings, it is the goal of the CONSORTIUM to have 100% of the employees in the member companies be positively influenced by CONSORTIUM activities.

What Specifically Can My Company Expect? The Consortium is structured such that in addition to the benefits of leveraging / sharing amongst a group of dedicated companies, each company will also receive a specific set of deliverables and benefits from membership. As the direction of the CONSORTIUM changes according to member need, these commitments may be altered, based on guidance and direction from the Board. Your company will receive the following: Board Meetings (8 Days) (2 planning meetings and 6 meeting events/tours) These one day meetings will be held approximately every month and a half at a member location and have two main components. First, these meetings will start with the host company tour and review of their business / continuous improvement performance. Significant issue sharing with member companies will also be facilitated. Secondly, these meetings map the direction of the CONSORTIUM and discuss the programs that are being delivered, ensuring members are receiving maximum value. The meetings consist of Education, Leveraging and Planning segments. Lean Assessment, VSM & Strategic Roadmap (3 Days) A detailed diagnostic assessment and site value stream of your operation will be carried out by knowledgeable coaches. This will determine how your company currently compares on a World Class/Best of Class scale, provide a roadmap for future planning, and allow a base from where the company can benchmark itself and compare levels to other companies within the CONSORTIUM. .

The diagnostic assessment will be conducted on a yearly basis, in order to evaluate improvements made and determine those yet to be implemented. This will assist companies in assessing the value of their CONSORTIUM membership and evaluate what opportunities need to be pursued and harnessed. Special Interest Meetings (4 Days) These days are in addition to the diagnostic assessment and will be spent working on various projects and/or initiatives that are specific in helping the company achieve World Class performance. (This may involve general consulting, planning or the delivery of training to employees.) Customized Learning Program (2 Days) To be determined based on the continuing counsel of the Board and Member Companies, Optima will provide a world class learning program for members of the Consortium. The Learning Program will be menu-based, in order to allow for the individual member companies to tailor their own learning program, and select training based on specific company needs. Consortium members are encouraged to provide spaces for other member companies at events to provide for an outside set of eyes for the host and additional learning opportunities for other member companies. Member companies can share days to extend training opportunities.

The Benefits of Belonging to a Consortium

Summary The concept for this association is simple. Share knowledge, people, issues and costs with others who are on the same path. Get more value for your dollar invested.

The Continuous Improvement Consortium provides the opportunity for organizations to learn from each other and travel together on the journey to become World Class. Please join us.

A Group for the CI Dedicated and Focused Organizations

Example of Members at Date of Printing

Teach – Change - Perform

Member Facilitated by Optima Associates, Inc. 1861 Nimitz Drive De Pere, WI 54115 920-425-1005 www.optimatcp.com

Teach - Change - Perform