CIO Talk Radio delves into lean information technology with Steelcase case study

CHICAGO - April 4, 2014 - PRLog -- (CHICAGO) -- On Wednesday, April 9^th, the nationally recognized internet-based talk radio show, CIO Talk Radio, will host a special live broadcast where executives from Steelcase (http://www.steelcase.com), the global furnishing and products company, will delve into how to apply lean manufacturing principles to IT.  Titled Feeding Innovation Through Lean IT the show will feature Bob Krestakos, VP, CIO Americas Operations; Chuck Walker, director IT, simulation engineering and Robert (Bob) Hendriksen, plant manager for Steelcase’s Kentwood West Plant.

The expectation of IT and the CIO has risen to the point that innovation and finding value outside of operations is a necessity. IT can no longer just allow projects to keep running, and in many cases working on new ideas to improve simply doesn’t fit the resource plan. But what if through ‘lean manufacturing’ inspired principles, IT was able to gain some head room to invest in innovation within IT and the rest of the business?

Lean Manufacturing, or “lean’ was perfected by Toyota and is a production practice that seeks to eliminate waste in the manufacturing process through rigorous adherence to a multi-step approach focused on continuous improvement.  This was the approach taken at Steelcase, where focusing on continuous improvement meant getting the entire IT organization to adopt the vocabulary of the factory floor. They have taken this much-heralded approach to manufacturing and applied it to information technology and overall business improvement with great success.

According to Steelcase’s Krestakos the basic idea is to make internal improvements in IT for increased efficiencies, improved productivity and lower costs. All of these concepts can be found within the basic principles of ‘lean manufacturing’.  IT can take a lesson from this approach, but IT often has a hard time implementing it.  Steelcase will share with CIO Talk Radio listeners how they have been able to harness some of these principles to make a significant difference in their overall business.

The show will air live at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, April 9.  Listeners may link to www.ciotalkradio.com to hear the live broadcast.  In preparation for the show we are asking that listeners share their questions in advance on social media and follow the conversation on CIO Talk Radio’s Facebook and Twitter site using the hashtags #steelcase, #leanit and #CTRLive.

To assist in following the show we’ve provided a glossary of terms below that will be used throughout.

1.Challenge:

Having a long-term vision of the challenges one needs to face to realize one's ambition (what we need to learn rather than what we want to do and then having the spirit to face that challenge). To do so, we have to challenge ourselves every day to see if we are achieving our goals.

2.Kaizen:

Good enough never is, no process can ever be thought perfect, so operations must be improved continuously, striving for innovation and evolution.

3.Genchi Genbutsu:

Going to the source to see the facts for oneself and make the right decisions, create consensus, and make sure goals are attained at the best possible speed.

Respect For People essentially involves two defining principles:

Respect:

Taking every stakeholders' problems seriously, and making every effort to build mutual trust. Taking responsibility for other people reaching their objectives.

Teamwork: This is about developing individuals through team problem solving. The idea is to develop and engage people through their contribution to team performance. Shop floor teams, the whole site as team at the outset.

About CIO Talk Radio

CIO Talk Radio is an internet-based talk radio show aired globally through Voice America Business Radio, with live broadcast every Wednesday at 9 a.m. CST, about how technology has changed and is changing the way we live our lives as well as do business. While we talk about its benefits, we also talk about the associated risks. CIO Talk Radio is ranked #1 on CIOInsight.com’s Top-10 list of Must-Listen-To Podcasts for CIO’s, #2 out of 40 business shows on Voice America Business Radio and Top Twitter Picks for CTOs/CIOs by Mashable: 15 Twitter Lists for C-Suite Execs to Follow.  Each week the live program reaches over 20K listeners and more than triple that for its rebroadcasts.

About Steelcase Inc.

For more than 100 years, Steelcase Inc. has helped create great experiences for the world’s leading organizations – wherever work happens. Steelcase and our family of brands – including Steelcase®, Coalesse®, Designtex®, Details®, Nurture®, PolyVision® and Turnstone® – offer a comprehensive portfolio of furnishings, products and services designed to unlock human promise and support social, economic and environmental sustainability. We are globally accessible through a network of channels, including approximately 650 dealers. Steelcase is a global, industry-leading and publicly traded company with fiscal 2013 revenue of $2.9 billion.