Eighth Annual Upholstery Conference Offers Management Solutions

Furniture World Magazine

The Eighth Annual Upholstery Technology Conference, produced by UDM Magazine, offers manufacturers the ideal opportunity to catch up on the latest management thinking and manufacturing alternatives. Five fact-filled seminar sessions at the Upholstery Technology Conference next Feb, 3 in Hickory, NC, will help upholstery industry managers comprehend many of the new business realities. "We've been organizing upholstery industry seminars since 1993," says Michael Chazin, editor and associate publisher of udm Magazine. "Manufacturers have found our programs to be one of the best ways to keep up with changes in technology and management thinking." Chazin adds, "This next conference will focus on some of the hottest topics in the furniture industry." At next February's Upholstery Technology Conference, sessions will explore the latest data management techniques, issues of supply chain management, and the realities of business in the new century. "No matter what kind of upholstered products you produce, you'll walk away from this conference with knowledge to help you perform better and more profitably," says Chazin. Using cheap labor, off-shore manufacturers are taking growing shares of the domestic upholstery market. Faced with these new competitors, manufacturers must combine up-to-date management thinking with the latest technology to maintain productivity and speed response time. To prepare manufacturers for this new reality, George Koeninger, BFC Consulting Group, and Terry Acord, Acord Manufacturing Consultants, will team up to present "Meet Tomorrow's Competitor." These two industry veterans have promised to push the envelope and deal with topics that likely will be new to attendees. Taking past conference sessions as a starting point, Koeninger and Acord, both contributors to UDM, will forecast what currently available technology will have the greatest impact on business operations in the not too distant future. This session will deal with new definitions of customer service, performance tracking in a world that demands instant gratification, the challenge of changing technology, and new models for marketing and distribution. Topics will include "Conventional Thinking = Closed Factories," E-Commerce or E-lse," and "Satisfacturing." A session on "Information Management in the Twenty-First Century" will examine how the growing use of computers has created a huge pool of unused data. Information from order entry, order processing, scheduling, product design, and manufacturing exist as islands of information. Yet, when data from these separate functions is combined, managed, and used strategically, the information can have powerful impacts. A team of information technology suppliers joins this panel to offer perspectives on the best ways to capture, share, and use this data to make your company more efficient . . . more productive . . . and more profitable. Panelists include Bob George, Timequest/Rosenthal and George; Greg Sumners, upholstery business unit manager for Lectra Systems; and Rich McEachern, president, Exclaim Technologies. Another conference panel will explore the benefits of supply chain management. At "Issues of Supply Chain Management" panelists will discuss how enlightened business approaches enable cutting-edge companies to manage their supply chains for improved profitability. Instead of haggling with suppliers and customers, upholstery manufacturers need to work with their industry partners and develop mutual goals that improve profitability for all participants. Panelists for this session will include Wayne Stewart, vice president/upholstery, LADD; Brent Orr, Havertys; Gayle Allen, director of supply chain management at Culp, Inc.; and Larry Fruge, vice president/marketing, Leggett & Platt. Other sessions will examine new manufacturing technology and the effectiveness of ergonomic programs in the upholstery industry. "Developments in Automated Sewing" will describe currently available options for automating sewing operations. During this session panelists will analyze a real-life sewing operation presented by an audience member and offer a possible automated solution. In the final session, "The Truth About Workplace Ergonomics," Gary Mirka of NC State University will moderate a panel of upholstery manufacturers who will talk about their own ergonomic programs. Panelists will include Mike Fleming, LifeStyle Furnishings International; Mark Nichols, La-Z-Boy; Wayne Bumgardner, Bernhardt Furniture; and Nelson Bailey and Wes Thompson of Thomasville Furniture Industries. The registration fee for individual sessions is $75. Or, take advantage of UDM's full-day registration package - register for all five sessions for just $210. Register before Friday, Jan. 14 and pay only $170 for the full day. To receive complete conference information and registration materials, call a toll-free conference hotline - 800/678-9336, or send e-mail to mchazin@chartcomm.com.