Productivity Summit 2010
The Skills4Work Productivity Summit focuses on the value and importance of workplace productivity programmes, vital in today’s environment.
In the current economic environment, organisations are facing the challenge of how to be globally competitive in a world where markets are still in difficulty. In addition, manufacturers face the issues of maintaining quality and delivery, while reducing cost to stay competitive. In this environment, it is even more critical to invest in productivity - this is the future of manufacturing in NZ.
Speakers:
Rod Oram
Rod is a leading NZ commentor on corporate, economic and political issues. He is columnist for the Sunday Star-Times and Good Magazine, a regular broadcaster on radio and television and a frequent public speaker. He is adjunct professor in the business school at Unitec in Auckland and has contributed to several regional economic development projects. He is the author of “Reinventing Paradise”, a book about the New Zealand Economy published by Penguin.
John Cook, Stainless Design
John Cook is Managing Director of Stainless Design and well known business leader in the Waikato. He will speak on the lean journey, what a lean programme can do for a company and the importance of workplace productivity for the future of industry and the NZ economy.
Waikato and Lean
The Waikato area is now seen as a stronghold of flagship lean companies like Stainless Design. To help raise the profile of this work, the Department of Labour has funded case studies on a series of companies, a number of which are in the Waikato. Three companies have been asked to contribute to the Summit: Hill Laboratories and Nufarm. Speakers from the companies will talk about what the productivity programme has meant for the company and its people.
Paul Barker, Workplace Policy, Department of Labour
The Productivity Summit has been planned working with the DOL as funder of the case studies. Paul Barker, Acting Group Manager, Workplace Policy, DOL Head Office will talk about Department of Labour initiatives in the area of workplace productivity.