April 9 PDM - Helping Puget Sound manufacturers succeed through innovation, supply chain positioning and business development

We will be holding our monthly Professional Development Meeting on Wednesday, April 9 at the Coast Bellevue Hotel.

Program Description

The Manufacturing Industry has long been a key component of the Washington state economy. Several large, international companies make their homes here as well many of their small and mid sized supply chain partners. As we all know, the world economy is changing; advances in technology have enabled trading partners to extend their reach across the globe, supply chains have grown in complexity and manufacturers are facing increasing competitive pressure to reduce costs.

With this in mind, the Center for Advanced Manufacturing Puget Sound (CAMPS) was launched in January 2008 to help small and mid sized manufacturers in this region acquire and apply the resources necessary to maintain a competitive advantage over their off shore competitors. The genesis for the formation of the Center was the realization on the part of the City of Kent and the Kent Chamber of Commerce in 2002 that, without change, the long term economic viability for manufacturers in its area and the entire Northwest region would be severely impacted by global competition.

Please join us on April 9th as Tom Mclaughlin, Executive Director of CAMPS will discuss the strategic direction of the center with a focus emerging industries, technologies, products, and processes.

Learning Objectives

• Discuss the importance of Innovation - what small manufacturers need to do to survive / thrive in today's rapidly changing business environment.
• Discuss the importance of Supply Chain Positioning - transformation from low cost provider to high value innovator. Examine the movement away from arms length, transaction based relationships and toward collaborative relationships with supply chain partners.
• Discuss the importance of Technology - from ERP to e-Commerce, what companies need to do to first align business process internally, and then extend technology to integrate with supply chain partners.

Speaker Bio:

Tom McLaughlin is the Executive Director of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing Puget Sound (CAMPS). CAMPS is a new program specifically focusing on small to medium size manufacturers to enable them to become more aligned with innovation, supply-chain positioning, and business development. Since 2004, he has been a partner with Hyak360 Partners LLC, a business advisory firm specializing in emerging and transitioning companies. His career spans over 30 years of financial and operations positions, including General Manager, Chief Financial Officer, Controller, Director of Materials, and Cost Accounting Manager. Mr. McLaughlin’s career encompasses an active involvement with high-growth environments, expanding operations, plant start-ups, mergers, acquisitions, and re-structuring. He is a member of the Financial Executives International (FEI), Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), and Institute of Management Consultants (IMC). He is a past president of the Kent Chamber of Commerce (2003). He holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) degree.

Event Details

This event is sponsored by APICS-Puget Sound (APICS-NW). Click Here to return to the registration page.