August 28, 2007

Purdue site of Deming Institute fall conference on Oct. 13-14

The W. Edwards Deming Institute Fall Conference will be Oct. 13-14 at Purdue's Stewart Center.

Jim Windle, a Purdue professor of organizational leadership and supervision, teaches a class based on the Deming philosophy. He said Deming's principles have been key to improving efficiency and quality for years in a wide variety of businesses - first in Japan and then in the United States. 

"These ideas don't come and go. They are the fabric of our future," Windle said. "It's important to discuss this philosophy in a university setting and open these ideas up to a new generation of leaders so they can implement these theories in their workplaces in the future."

Deming worked extensively as a consultant for Japanese businesses after World War II, during the time of rapid growth in Japan's business and industrial sector. While there, he taught a set of techniques that allowed Japanese engineers to manufacture high-quality goods without expensive machinery. Deming's teachings stressed that improving quality reduces expenses and increases productivity and market share.

Japanese executives instituted his theories to grow their businesses at unprecedented rates. Deming's teachings were the beginning of today's Total Quality Management model, which has been adopted by companies in the United States and throughout the world.

The conference is sponsored by the W. Edwards Deming Institute. Purdue last was host to the conference in 2005, which was the first time the conference had been held outside Washington, D.C., since its beginning in the mid-1990s. Windle said a record crowd of about 250 people attended the 2005 conference, and he expects even more to attend this year.

Speakers at the conference will include Norm Bafunno, senior vice president of manufacturing and administration for Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana Inc.; Bill Bellows, associate technical fellow at Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne; Heather Woodward-Hagg, an assistant professor of industrial technology and researcher at Purdue's Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering; and other academics and professionals from around the country.

Discussion topics will include how Deming's ideas can reduce variation in service and products, enhance job satisfaction, redesign organizations as systems, and be used in the health-care industry.

Windle also will lead a panel of recent Purdue graduates who will discuss their experiences in industry, the problems they face and how Deming's principles are being used in the workplace.

The cost to attend the conference is $250. To register, go online to https://www.conf.purdue.edu/deming. For registration information or questions, contact Kim Stockment, conference coordinator, at (765) 494-7225, kstockme@purdue.edu.

One hundred thirty scholarships will be available for qualified students to offset the conference cost. A scholarship application can be printed from the conference Web site. For information about the scholarships, contact the W. Edwards Deming Institute at (301) 294-8405, staff@deming.org.

Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu

Sources: Jim Windle, (765) 463-221, amsinst@aol.com

Rodney Vandeveer, associate professor of organizational leadership and supervision, (765) 494.6804, vandevee@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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