Building the Lean MRO Enterprise

"Thanks for a lifetime of learning in a week long class, your program is SUPER!"

Mark Enarson
Production Management Lead
Tanker Business Unit Transformation Team
76th Aircraft Maintenance Group
OC-ALC /76th AMXG

Bringing the Power of Lean to Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul

What Will You Learn?

• Why lean in an MRO operation is not the same as lean in manufacturing.
• How to reduce turnaround times without increasing capital or headcount.
• How to forecast and schedule high variability demand in complex operations.
• How to track down and manage your bottlenecks to free up capacity.
• Problem solving through hands-on work with real-world problems and data sets.
• How to lead people in transforming your organization for lowered costs, improved throughput, and increased competitiveness.

Who Should Attend?

Why the University of Tennessee?

• Internationally recognized thought leader in lean, six sigma, and supply chain management.
• Access to cutting edge applied research on the translation of these tools for the MRO environment.
• Greatest hands-on experience base with Lean MRO of any university faculty.
• Interaction and shared learning with class mates from leading MRO operations across a wide range of industries.

• Avoid hype and overselling canned solution in a university setting conducive to genuine learning.

About This Program

This course targets managers, engineers, lean change agents, and others involved in implementing lean concepts in Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) organizations.  The course will address eliminating waste, improving quality, creating flow, and enhancing responsiveness to customer needs in the MRO environment.  The participants will gain insight on how to apply lean principles in the MRO world.

Special problems addressed that relate to implementing lean principles in MRO organizations include:

• High Variability in Demand Uncertainty in Workscope and Material Requirements
• Unpredictable Response Times from Support Operations and External Suppliers
• Difficulty in Managing Shared Resources
• Physical Restrictions on Movement of Work
• Restrictions Requiring Repaired Parts to be Returned to the Original Assembly
• Implications of the Diagnosis-Scheduling/Dispersal/Backshop/Assembly/Test sequence 

The course will cover the tools of lean applied to the MRO environment.  It will also address the rules governing flow in an MRO operation: 1) PUSH versus PULL, 2) Balancing Flow, 3) Flex Capacity, and 4) Managing Bottlenecks and Shared Resources.  In addition, lean principles such as the visual workplace, point of use material storage, one piece flow, takt time, and standard work will be addressed. 

Other topics will include selling the strategic importance of MRO to the enterprise, implementing measurement systems which are aligned with strategic goals as well as managing customer and supplier interfaces.

The course integrates presentations with extensive participant discussion.  The learning environment will facilitate sharing of ideas and provide an opportunity for collaboration with other colleagues in the MRO industry.  Hands-on simulations will be used to illustrate lean principles, specifically in the MRO world.

The Faculty

The faculty are Dr. Melissa Bowers, Dr. Ken Gilbert and Dr. Mandyam Srinivasan.

Congratulations to Dr. Srinivasan for winning the prestigious Edelman Award!

Click here to read more about the honor bestowed on Dr. Srinivasan.

Collectively, the faculty have many years of experience working with manufacturing companies to improve productivity and are members of the University of Tennessee Aerospace MBA program.  The faculty also work with the University of Tennessee Lean Enterprise Systems Design Institute.  This one week program has been attended by hundreds of executives from various manufacturing companies, including many in the aerospace industry such as Boeing, Honeywell, Hughes, Lockheed-Martin, and many others.

Dr. Ken Gilbert is also on the faculty of the Lean Aerospace Initiative's Lean Academy .

Facilities

Classes are held in the executive classrooms at the University of Tennessee Center for Executive Education. These facilities are designed to promote group interaction in an environment conducive to applied discussions, feedback, and the development of relational networks that frequently continue well beyond the on-campus experience.

What, When, Where, Who?

• Five-day program
• Enrolling now for programs
• $4,500 tuition covers all materials, meals, and hotel
• Classes meet at Center for Executive Education, University of Tennessee , Knoxville
• Contact Rhonda Barton, Program Director, (865) 974-1626, rbarton@utk.edu

Want more information...?

Please contact the Center for Executive Education for more information regarding course descriptions, programs, or custom services.  Please call us at (865) 974-5001, fax us at (865) 974-4989 or email us at TheCenter@utk.edu.

Let us be your Real-World Solution