Jennifer Ayers, Author at NWHPEC

31Mar 2026 by Jennifer Ayers

5S Workshop (Kaizen-style) April 21-22 – FULL

Application~, Beginner~, Classes, Foundational~

Invest two days that will make a lasting impact! This immersive 5S Workshop combines hands-on learning with real-world results. Attendees will kick off with a half day of targeted 5S training, then apply their knowledge through a one-and-a-half-day kaizen event in Danner’s Recrafting Department. You’ll experience the full power of the learn-do model—developing practical 5S skills, driving measurable improvement, and gaining insights you can take back to strengthen your own workplace. Completion of Lean 101/Introduction to Lean or equivalent experience is required to participate in this action-packed, kaizen-style event. Dates: Tuesday April 21st and Wednesday, April 22nd 2026 Time: 7:30am-4:30pm Location: Danner Factory Store (Recrafting Department): 12021 NW Airport Way, Portland OR Cost: $400 per person Key Concepts: Understanding that 5S is a problem exposure tool Defining the 5 S’s…

31Mar 2026 by Jennifer Ayers

Lean 101 (6-week virtual series) Apr 23-May 28 (6 spots left)

Beginner~, Classes

Lean 101 - Spring 2026 series starting soon... The AM session is full, join us at 1pm Pacific starting April 23, 2026. 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, 1.5 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…

31Mar 2026 by Jennifer Ayers

Benchmarking Tour: Danner Boots – April 28th

Events, Learning Tours

Host Company: Danner is known in the industry for its high quality, rugged footwear, which is a result of their strong commitment to customer value. This commitment is deeply rooted in their approach to engaging and inspiring employees to actively participate in continuous improvement. Tour Summary: At Danner one of their goals is to drive down the cost of manufacturing and boost efficiency, so they identified a need to have a clear process for understanding staffing and machine needs, product flow, bottlenecks, and sources of quality problems. This provided a standardized way to build a case for automation through an ROI analysis. Learn about how Ashton integrated these key techniques into her ROI and listen to the unique way she built this into a "story arc" to sell the benefits…

31Mar 2026 by Jennifer Ayers

3H Teamwork – May 6th & 27th

Application~, Beginner~, Classes, Developing People~

3H Teamwork class is a mini, team member focused version of our well known 3H Leadership class. This 2-session series focuses on: Personal Responsibility Personal Communications Constructive Confrontation Title: 3H Teamwork – Engaging your Heart, Head, and HandsFacilitator: Kari Penca Course Description:Lean organizations strive to continuously improve quality, lead-time and cost performance by harnessing the natural problem-solving creativity of all employees on a daily basis. This focus on problem-solving capability naturally emphasizes the importance of engaging employees critical thinking skills – their “heads”. Tapping the full potential of their creativity, however, also relies on engaging their human need to contribute and be creative – their “hearts”. 3H Teamwork is a series of two focused sessions for individual team members. These two sessions explore the building blocks for effective relationships and connecting with…

31Mar 2026 by Jennifer Ayers

Webinar: From Chaos to Clarity – May 12th

Events, Webinar

From Chaos to Clarity, Simplifying process design with 2P In her session on 2P, Process Preparation, Alex Brown (Clemco, CI Manager) brings the kind of grounded energy that turns theory into movement. She shows how teams can shift from reactive firefighting to proactive design by creating clarity before the first bolt is tightened or the first unit is built. 2P blends kaizen, visual thinking, and simulation to reduce risk and drive right-first-time outcomes. Alex breaks it down into a practical, usable structure, from preparation and team selection through simulation and implementation. Real examples. Interactive dialogue. Clear takeaways you can apply immediately to process, layout, or product design. About our presenter: Alex started in crating, building pallets and protecting shipments. She advanced to machine builder and project assembly. She strengthened her…

31Mar 2026 by Jennifer Ayers

Benchmarking: AI in the Workplace – May 21

Benchmark Request, Member Sharing

Benchmarking Discussion: AI 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. The conversation continues.... This will be an open discussion focused on how organizations are exploring, applying, and learning from AI in their continuous improvement work. Whether you’re experimenting with automation and analytics, curious about practical use cases, or ready to share your own lessons and tools, bring your questions and insights to tap into the collective experience of the group. This is an open “SIG-like” roundtable discussion. 📅 Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026 ⏰ Time: 3pm (PST) 📌 Venue: Online via Zoom Open to all NWHPEC members Email Jennifer for the meeting invite.

30Mar 2026 by Jennifer Ayers

Benchmarking: Engaging Employees in CI – April 8th

Benchmark Request, Member Sharing

April Benchmarking Discussion: Engaging Employees in CI 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. April’s online benchmarking session will be an open discussion focused on how organizations are engaging employees to do continuous improvement work. Whether you’re experimenting with suggestion systems, curious about how other organizations are rolling out CI, or if you want to share your own lessons, bring your questions and insights to tap into the collective experience of the group. We'd love to hear you share your wins and challenges! This is an open “SIG-like” roundtable discussion. 📅 Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2026 📌 Venue: Online via Zoom ⏰ Time: 2pm (PST) Open to all NWHPEC…

Author: Jennifer Ayers