Jennifer Ayers, Author at NWHPEC

13Feb 2026 by Jennifer Ayers

Benchmarking: 5S – Feb 17th

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. February's online benchmarking session will be an open-ended discussion around 5S (or 6S) programs. Whether you're curious about how to initiate, implement, standardize, sustain, or just 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: Tuesday, Feb 17, 2026 ⏰ Time: 1pm (PST) 📌 Venue: Online via Zoom Open to all NWHPEC members Registration link

11Dec 2025 by Jennifer Ayers

Lean 101 (6-week virtual series) starts Jan 20th – FULL new Jan 22nd class has limited spots

Beginner~, Classes

Lean 101 - Winter 2026 series starting soon... The Tuesday class is full, we are running a concurrent session on Thursdays from 9-10:30 Pacific. Spots are filling fast 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…

10Dec 2025 by Jennifer Ayers

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…

09Dec 2025 by Jennifer Ayers

Leader Standard Work – Feb 6th (FULL)

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…

08Dec 2025 by Jennifer Ayers

Benchmarking Tour: A-dec – Feb 11th

Events, Learning Tours

Tour Focus: Technology Integration in Manufacturing Host Company – A-dec website A-dec designs and manufactures dental equipment at their headquarters in Newberg, Oregon. The A-dec vision began with a simple idea: make the best better. From their simple beginnings, A-dec has emerged as one of the most respected names in the dental industry. In 1964, founders Ken and Joan Austin made the biggest choice of their lives: risk it all to start a company of their own. Little did they know that an invention and a dream would help revolutionize the world of dentistry. 60 years later, A-dec is an employer of choice and the world’s leading manufacturer of reliable dental operatory equipment. They continue to work for the betterment of dentistry and embed their values into the work they…

01Dec 2025 by Jennifer Ayers

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

23Nov 2025 by Jennifer Ayers

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…

Author: Jennifer Ayers