William Kwong, LFM '03
William Kwong, LFM '03, takes the wheel of a C-17 aircraft Boeing's Long Beach plant.

News

LFM '04 Plant Tour

Students visit partner companies to learn about their manufacturing processes

By Monica Nakamine
February 4, 2003

From January 6-17, 2003, the LFM '04 class traveled throughout the country on the annual plant tour, visiting various companies and witnessing some of the most innovative processes and operations that the manufacturing industry has to offer. Overall, the students had a positive experience, and gained different perspectives and insights.

LFM '04s in front of a 717 airplane

Above is the LFM '04s and a few faculty members in front of a work-in-progress: a 717 airplane!

"The plant tour completely surpassed my expectations," said LFM '04 Carlos Gonzalez. "You get to learn and compare each company's culture, technologies, visions, and reactions to current challenges."

This year's plant tour went from coast to coast, border to border, and consisted of eight companies:

Aside from the 57 students, LFM Director Don Rosenfield and Professor Shoji Shiba traveled with the students throughout the entire tour, while professors Tom Kochan, Roy Welsch, and Otis Jennings met them at selected locations.

Plant Tour Highlights

The writer of this article joined the tour during the second week, and what follows are some of the highlights:

At Boeing, the tour consisted of a walk-through of the 717 plant, which is where the 100-seat airplane recently incorporated lean manufacturing into its production process. Students were allowed on board the C-17, a military airlifter that is used mainly by the U.S. government for relief missions and hauling troops and tanks. A few LFM alums were on hand to greet the LFM '04s, including Katherine Whiting, LFM '92; Charlie Hicks, LFM '98; Mike Vander Weil, LFM '91; Soheila Khosravani, LFM '95; Thomas Hoag, LFM '00; Eric Kittleson, LFM '98; and Victoria Gastelum, LFM '92.

The tour at Dell Computers offered another perspective on lean. The LFMs visited the two plants at the company's Austin headquarters, witnessing operations from an aerial view, then going down into the trenches for a closer look at the individual processes that allow Dell to efficiently customize its product according to each order.

"I was greatly impressed by the amount of automation and information systems that had been implemented," said LFM '04 Elana Cohen.

Another student, Aimee Henkle, added, "I liked Dell because of its fast-paced culture and because it is always looking for growth opportunities. Plus, we got to see Michael Dell." Indeed, the president and CEO of Dell Computers himself made a special appearance at a dinner that the company hosted for the LFMs. Steve Cook, LFM '98 (shown above); Miguel Miciano, LFM '99; Maribel Sierra, LFM '01; Tom Wala, LFM '99; Greg Kandare, LFM '99; Jim Griffith, LFM '00; Chris Cowger, LFM '98; Paul Friedman, LFM '01; and Vida Killian, LFM '03, also spoke to the LFM '04 class on their own individual experiences at Dell.

The Honeywell tour is the first chemical manufacturing plant that LFM classes have visited. The Baton Rouge facility manufactures several different types of hydrofluoric acids, which are used to make products for industries such as refrigeration, construction, healthcare, and agriculture. Equipped with the mandatory hardhat, industrial-strength rubber gloves, eye goggles, and earplugs, the students were led through the plant as well as the control rooms.

"I liked Honeywell the most, based on culture and industry," said Amy Vallely. "The plant tour [at Honeywell] was well run, hospitality was great, people actually seemed to like each other and enjoy their jobs. As a ChemE, I was excited that my classmates were able to see a chemical engineering plant, and hear their comments."

Greatest Learnings

Since each LFM '04 student has an expertise in a particular area within manufacturing, the LFM plant tour gave them all a glimpse of another field outside their own. As part of the LFM curriculum, the plant tour not only provides the students with the chance to visit some of the partner companies, but also allows them to compare and contrast the different operational processes, cultures, and visions. They come away with a broader understanding of how business is conducted across a very diversified industry.

"My greatest learning was in realizing that aspects of the Toyota Production System can be used in all aspects of manufacturing, from the typical model of making cars to assembling computers," said LFM '04 Aimee Henkle. "There was some form of it in each of the companies that we visited."

Cohen, the LFM '04 student mentioned earlier, added, "I was surprised to find such a wide diversity of corporate cultures and best practices."

Christine Lindsey, LFM '04, said, "The plant tour was great, hectic, but overall, it was one of the best experiences of my life."