Tours
Plant tours have long been part of the Continuous Improvement Conference. The tours occur concurrently on Wednesday, April 8; therefore, attendees can register for one tour only (there is an additional charge). Bus transportation is provided to the facility and to John Glenn Columbus International Airport, before returning to the Renaissance Hotel. Each bus will depart the hotel at 11:30 a.m. for the 90 minute tour. See transportation details under each tour description.
Hopkins Printing Company
Serving Central Ohio since 1975, Hopkins Printing has grown from a small operation into an industry leader. Its 108,000 sq. ft. single facility includes sheetfed offset, digital, and wide format printing; binding; mailing; and fulfillment services for its many retail, banking, insurance, and manufacturing clients. Hopkins has been engaged in continuous improvement since the late 1990’s and sees Lean as a journey with still a long way to go. The 104-person company credits Lean thinking for being able to grow in revenue due to improved processes and cross-training. The company added 33,000 sq. ft. to their building in 2019. Attendees will see Hopkins’ use of 5S, visual management, key metrics, and idea generation system. Of special interest is the company’s collaborative effort in approach to projects and all of their managers will be available to share their knowledge and experience with tour participants. Hopkins is employee owned and has been repeatedly named as Best of the Best in PIA’s Best Workplace of the Americas award program.
Tour Capacity: 50 people
Tour Requirements: Participants are required to wear long pants—no bare legs, skirts, dresses, or shorts. Closed toed shoes and socks are required—no high heels.
Transportation: Bus will depart hotel at 11:30 am. After the 90 minute tour, bus will stop first at John Glenn Columbus International Airport (by 2:15 pm), then return to the hotel.
Tour Location: 2246 Citygate Drive, Columbus, OH 43219
Honda Auto Plant
Honda became the first Japanese automaker to manufacture vehicles in the U.S. when the inaugural U.S.-built Accord rolled off the assembly line in Marysville, OH, in 1982. There is a lot of talk about Toyota in the Lean world, but Honda is largely its equal, just less public about what it does. In fact, John Shook, co-author of The Machine that Changed the World (the book that made the term Lean production known worldwide), calls Honda his favorite company in the Lean universe. Much of Honda’s strength lies in the broad application of fundamental problem-solving principles and a truly lean culture. This is a rare opportunity to go inside Honda’s main U.S. operation and learn about its manufacturing principles. The tour will start at the Honda Heritage Center (museum) and then proceed to the auto plant.
Tour Capacity: 50 people
Tour Requirements: The Auto Plant walking tour is approximately 1.5 miles and may include stairs. Please wear comfortable walking shoes that cover the foot and heel. Sandals, open-toe or open-back shoes are prohibited. Skirt/shorts must be knee length or longer for plant tour. All participants will need a government issued photo ID (driver’s license, passport, etc.) for check-in upon arrival.
Transportation: Bus will depart hotel at 11:30 am. After the 2 hour visit, bus will stop first at John Glenn Columbus International Airport (by 3:45 pm), before returning to hotel.
Tour Location: 24025 Honda Parkway, Marysville, OH 43040