Benchmarking: Gemba Walks – Jan 15th

Benchmarking: Gemba Walks – Jan 15th

Benchmark Request, Member Sharing
January Benchmarking Discussion: Gemba Walks Join us online at The Bench for engaging roundtable discussions where members can connect, collaborate, learn, and share best practices. We’ll dive into specific topics each time we gather. January's online benchmarking session will be an open-ended discussion around Gemba Walks. Whether you're curious about how to initiate, implement, standardize, sustain, or want to share your expertise... bring your questions to tap into the collective wisdom of the group.  This is an open “SIG-like” roundtable discussion.  📅 Date: Thursday, Jan 15, 2026  ⏰ Time: 2pm (PST) 📌 Venue: Online via Zoom - reach out to Jennifer for the registration link Open to all NWHPEC members Registration link
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Lean 101 (6-week virtual series) starts Jan 20th – FULL, join the waitlist

Lean 101 (6-week virtual series) starts Jan 20th – FULL, join the waitlist

Beginner~, Classes
Lean 101 - Winter 2026 series starting soon... Reach out if you want to be on the waitlist for this class. Join us on a journey to discover the basic elements of lean principles and see the impact they make when you put them into practice. This course consists of six, one-hour classes focused on the foundational elements of lean. During this course, you will learn more about the history/background of lean, why these principles are important to creating a culture of excellence, standard work, 8 wastes, 5S, PDCA, and visual management. Each week will include instruction, discussion, and simulations followed by small project assignments between each class to help you practice the concepts in your own environment.Lean 101 is a beginning-level course that teaches participants the basic concepts of…
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Webinar: How North Coast Container Built a Culture of Collaborative Engineering – Jan 29th

Webinar: How North Coast Container Built a Culture of Collaborative Engineering – Jan 29th

Webinar
Yokoten in Action: How North Coast Container Built a Culture of Collaborative Engineering Webinar summary: North Coast Container's Engineering Summit is a multi-faceted collaboration initiative which has evolved from just three engineers meeting informally to a comprehensive organizational learning system. In this webinar, you will learn about their unique Engineering Summit approach that combines weekly virtual meetings with quarterly in-person sessions, creating a powerful learning ecosystem for their multi-plant organization. Hear how they leverage Gemba walks, vendor presentations, and Problem Countermeasure Boards (PCMBs) to accelerate problem-solving and drive continuous improvement across all facilities. Join us to explore the remarkable benefits this program brings: An environment of open sharing on ideas and problems, increasing the speed of problem resolution Dramatically shortened learning curves for new engineers Real-time access to decades of…
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Leader Standard Work – Feb 6th

Leader Standard Work – Feb 6th

Beginner~, Classes, Leadership~
Class Description It’s time to learn and apply Leader Standard Work to your daily routine! The true purpose of leadership is to empower and develop your employees so they can achieve awesome things.  To accomplish this, you need a standard way of working that will allow you to maximize your efficiency and impact while fulfilling your most important duty to your people.As the whirlwind takes over our day, we quickly lose control of our priorities.  Once we fall into firefighting mode, our ability to improve and sustain processes and activities becomes secondary.  This is where Leader Standard Work (LSW) comes into play.  LSW is the foundation to creating new leadership habits that will allow you to spend more time listening to your team, developing your team’s problem-solving abilities, and sustaining…
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Benchmarking Tour @Smith Gardens – Nov 14th

Benchmarking Tour @Smith Gardens – Nov 14th

Events, Learning Tours
Theme: Lean Management System Framework in Action Host company: Smith Gardens grows annuals and perennials at five locations in the PNW and Southern California for retailers in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska and Western Canada. Their local nursery in Aurora, Oregon opened in 1997.  The site has 38 acres of greenhouse and 12.5 acres of field space. The Aurora facility produces and ships year-round. This tour occurs at peak Poinsettia season, which will provide a beautiful backdrop to our tour. Tour Summary At Smith Gardens, an important foundation for creating a culture of continuous improvement included building out their Continuous Improvement Management System (CIMS), modeled after the Lean Management System framework. Leadership at the Aurora site have fully embraced this framework and have been steadily rolling out new components over the…
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Lean Happy Hour – Nov 18th

Lean Happy Hour – Nov 18th

Events
It’s time to connect, socialize, and network while enjoying some tasty apps and beverages! Please join us. This is a great opportunity to get to know others in the consortium better and to continue geeking out on lean topics. Drop in any time after 4pm, we’ll be there until 6 or 6:30…depending on how social everyone is. NWHPEC will provide appetizers, you’ll cover the cost of drinks and any additional food. Date: Tuesday, Nov 18, 2025 Time: Happy Hour starts at 4pm (Cooper Mountain Ale Works in Tigard – drop in any time after 4pm) Location: Cooper Mountain Ale Works - 12562 SW Main St, Tigard, OR 97223 (map link) RSVP for a calendar invite RSVP
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Benchmarking: Implementing Kanban Systems – Dec 3rd

Benchmarking: Implementing Kanban Systems – Dec 3rd

Benchmark Request, Member Sharing
December Benchmarking Discussion: Implementing Kanban Join us online at The Bench for engaging roundtable discussions where members can connect, collaborate, learn, and share best practices. We’ll dive into specific topics each time we gather. December's online benchmarking session will be an open-ended discussion around implementing Kanban. Whether you're curious about Kanban systems, implementation, or buy in, or want to share your expertise... bring your questions to tap into the collective wisdom of the group.  This is an open “SIG-like” roundtable discussion.  📅 Date: Wednesday, Dec 3, 2025  ⏰ Time: 1pm (PT) 📌 Venue: Online via Zoom - reach out to Jennifer for the registration link Open to all NWHPEC members Registration link
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