University of Dayton, Ohio

Welcome to the Center for Competitive Change

The Center for Competitive Change and our 20+ years of experience in continuous process improvement tools can help you and your organization improve productivity, reduce unwanted costs and exceed customer expectations. Our mission is to empower and engage you and your employees to achieve business and operational excellence. Our team is comprised of industry experts and actual practitioners who provide unique and customized programs not offered anywhere else in the country. Whether you attend one of our publicly offered programs or we come to you and provide specific, targeted programs or coaching at your organization, we think you'll be impressed!

How will I achieve business and operational excellence?

About Us

Founded in 1988, the Center for Competitive Change has helped clients save millions of dollars by delivering innovative, performance-based learning solutions, especially in the areas of Lean and Lean Six Sigma. Located at the University of Dayton's School of Engineering in Dayton, Ohio, the Center for Competitive Change has worked with over 1000 of the country's top regional and global organizations by providing learning events that integrate learning and immediate, applied action.

Mission

The Center for Competitive Change provides integrated performance-based, learning events to help our clients achieve business and operational excellence. Through an applied learning approach, we help organizations assess, develop, and implement world-class culture transformation. We achieve this position by maintaining extensive, top-value learning events (training) and performance accelerator programs (products and services).

Vision

To enable our clients and partners to achieve "supreme execution" through accelerating their wisdom, compressing time, eliminating waste, and providing increased value and benefits to their customers.

Philosophy

1. Listen

Every business is different. That is why we will start our relationship with your organization by listening to your specific problems and issues. Only through listening can we learn how to best suit the needs of your organization. Every need, no matter how small, is important enough to make a difference in your organization's performance.

2. Learn

Merriam-Webster defines 'learning' as such: "to gain knowledge or understanding by study, instruction, or experience." Learning about the problems facing your organization allows us to completely and clearly understand the best way to solve these problems and to help you turn a greater profit. Our team is well-prepared and has the experience, wisdom, and judgment that will assure that you are receiving the best possible solution to the challenges that your organization faces.

3. Practice

Practice comes from doing and knowledge comes from practicing what you just learned on your own problems and in your own environment. The Center's resources have the forethought, leadership, experience, and knowledge to understand what it takes to run a competitive and successful organization. Our team will listen and learn to understand your situation so we can provide you the best connections between your unique situations and problems, and what you just learned.

4. Apply

Our success results from our clients' successes in gaining new knowledge and applying it immediately back into their work places. Typical adults learn about 20-30% from a standard classroom instructor-led course. They retain only about 10% after they return to work. Our goal is to quadruple these numbers by integrating learning and application. We call it "applied learning." We accomplish this goal by working together from building the exact solution to executing the solution, always together, always with your interests first.

Our Programs

Register to attend a public workshop where you will work with top consultants in their fields in order to gain the confidence and knowledge to solve your organization's needs, support your leaders, improve your workforce, and build competitiveness. Inquire about our on-site workshops where our facilitators come to your organization and blend with onsite situation analysis to create a result that focuses on solutions and developing your team.

In order to help us get you the information you need, please choose one of the following options:

• View our Public Program Schedule 
• View a brief overview of each program/workshop
• View detailed descriptions of each program/workshop
• Download a printable PDF for a specific program here (Coming soon)
• Bring a program to my organization

Lean, Lean Six Sigma, ISO . . . which continuous improvement tool should I pursue? I need more information . . .

	Lean	Lean Six Sigma	ISO
Use if your organization values...	Visual changes and right now time	Analytical studies of data, charts and analysis	Business Process Mapped and Standardized with Responsibility and Authority. Continual Improvement with internal auditing and preventive action.
Main Focus	Waste Reduction	Variation Reduction	Remove Inconsistencies
Main Theory	"If we focus on waste removal, then flow time will improve."	"If we focus on reducing variation, then we will have more uniform process output."	"If we focus on consistency of the process of work instructions and evidence, each work step will be correctly completed or executed."
Secondary Effects	Focus on waste and time results in less variation, uniform output and less inventory	Focus on reducing variation and achieving uniform process results in less waste, less throughput time and less inventory	Provides guidance in the development and implementation of an effective quality management system

Products

The Center for Competitive Change has accumulated a long list of lean, ISO, OD and Lean Six Sigma products that have been "field" tested. Many of our products come from the same expert facilitators you've worked with in one or more of our learning events. These products expand the world of Lean, ISO, Mergers and Acquisitions and other specific workshops that help you, our client, advance to the next level of operating performance.

• Strategy Deployment (Hoshin Kanri)
• RASI Pro
• Get Lean Master Series^® Certification
• Lean Assessment
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• ISO Audits

Services

The Center continues to develop numerous tools for use in handling your routine business and for pushing your expertise to the next level. With technology developing at the speed of light, more management tools become available every day. To help you stay ahead of the competition, we continue to identify certain tools which will help you achieve a new level of productivity at your workplace.

• Onsite Training
• Accelerator Program – Learning to Implementation in 5 days
• Facility & Production Flow Change
• Culture Change
• A3 Problem Solving
• Set Up Reduction
• Implementing 5S & 7S Visual Systems
• Kaizen Blitzes and How to Conduct Them
• Lean Six Sigma Training and Coaching
• Total Productive Maintenance TPM
• Kanban Development and Maintenance
• Consulting – Coaching & Mentoring In Lean Start-up and Corrections
• Organization Development
• Meeting & Communication Planning – Project Management, Value Stream Mapping the Facility, Cell Development, Creating Standard Work, Identifying Waste

Workshops

In addition to the Products and Services listed above, we offer both public and onsite workshops covering Lean, Lean Six Sigma, and Project Management.

Our Team

The Center's core strengths are based on its early roots with the Japanese masters of lean. Over the years, Carol Shaw, Cash Powell and now Paul Piechota and Steve Budde as part of the leadership team, have not only led clients to achieve regional and national recognition, but increased their resource levels of expertise and capabilities using the proven tools of success. Theory, practice and performance come together from their knowledge and skills and foundational practices. Our people are the strength of this organization, and it is they who bring the core ingredient that makes our business team superior over competition.

In addition, the Center incorporates a very strong nationally-known buffer team of subject matter experts crossing each of the lean, ISO and Lean Six Sigma vocations. From customers to factory floor to suppliers, from health care organizations to educational institutions, the Center for Competitive Change continues to develop into an effective provider of performance-based training and education designed to meet the needs of those organizations seeking change.

Center for Competitive Change Leadership Team

The support and facilitation of lean techniques only comes from a team of people that continuously exhibit common values, interests, and goals. Our people are the strength of this organization, and it is they who bring the core ingredient that makes our business team superior over competition. Our team is comprised of the following tiers of members:

• Paul Piechota, Director
• Cash Powell, Lead Consultant
• Carol Shaw, Professor Emeritus
• Seth Hummel, Lead Coach-Sales and Marketing
• Mike Fedotowsky, Lead Consultant

Core Values

1. Respect for Individuals

We treat each other with respect and dignity, valuing individual and cultural differences. We communicate frequently and with candor, listening to each other regardless of level or position. Recognizing that exceptional quality begins with people, we give individuals the authority to use their capabilities to the fullest to satisfy their customers. Our environment supports personal growth for all people.

2. Dedication to Helping All

We truly care for each and every customer and member of our team. We build enduring relationships by understanding and anticipating our customers' needs and by serving them better each time than the time before. Our customers can count on us to consistently deliver superior products and services that help them achieve their business goals.

3. Highest Standards of Integrity

We are honest and ethical in all our business dealings, starting with how we treat each other. We keep our promises and admit our mistakes. Our personal conduct recognizes that our name is always affiliated with the university and therefore must be worthy of trust.

4. Innovation

We believe innovation is the engine that will keep us vital and growing. Our culture embraces creativity, seeks different perspectives and risks pursuing new opportunities. We create and rapidly convert business goals and challenges into technology solutions and services, constantly searching for new ways to make technology more useful to our customers.

5. Teamwork

We encourage and reward both individual and team achievements. We freely join with colleagues across organizational boundaries to advance the interests of customers and shareowners. Our team spirit extends to being responsible and caring partners in the communities where we live and work.

We have provided state-of-the-art lean training workshops since 1988.

Overview

You can start anywhere − begin with a Comprehensive Plan or just some basic training. Whether a large corporation or a small shop, we can design a program for you.

Take a look at how we have helped organizations similar to yours.

Comprehensive-based Solutions You have concerns about overall business strategy and how the several areas impact one another. You'd like management guidance and solutions based on an analysis and plan for your organization. Comprehensive-Based Solutions Success >>

Regional State University Regional Bank Industrial Manufacturer

Situation-based Solutions You have a goal or situation and want to achieve it through the acceleration of lean-sigma based tools with organic learning – at your place with your people. Situation-Based Solutions Success >>

Aristech Acrylics, LLC Government Supplier 1 Government Supplier 2

Pinpoint-Based Lean-Sigma Training Solutions You have a need to attend our public lean-sigma based training to address specific, targeted organizational needs or for your professional development and advancement. Pinpoint-Based Lean-Sigma Training Success >>

Kettering Health Network Honda of America, Mfg. MetLife Auto & Home Liberty Bank WESCO Distribution Goodrich Aircraft Wheels and Brakes WPAFB

Take the first step toward achieving that competitive edge. Contact us today.

HAVE A QUESTION? JUST ASK US!

For registration or for more information, contact: Teri Stemley (937) 229-4632 tstemley1@udayton.edu Seth Hummel, Lead Coach - Sales & Marketing (937) 673-3732 shummel1@udayton.edu
Public programs vary between the following locations:
University of Dayton River Campus (former location of NCR World Headquarters) 1700 S. Patterson Blvd. Dayton, Ohio 45469	Voice of America Learning Center 7847 VOA Park Drive Corner of VOA Park Drive and Cox Road West Chester, Ohio  45069