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When the AWFS®Vegas trade show kicks off
in July, the College of Woodworking Knowledge® (CWWKTM) will roll out a
roster of 52 programs with a wide selection of topics and seminar
lengths, providing attendees with numerous options for on-site
education.
Two all-day workshops are featured on the program: Lean Manufacturing
Production Simulation and the 10-Hour OSHA Safety Training. The Lean
workshop is an innovative and interactive hands-on simulation. Attendees
participate as “competing companies” working on a manufacturing floor,
utilizing lean tools such as Takt Time, Kanban, cellular manufacturing
and more. Over the course of the day’s program the process shifts from
traditional to lean manufacturing, providing attendees with a
comprehensive insight into the Lean process. The workshop runs on the
pre-show day, Tuesday, July 17 and will repeat on Saturday, July 21.
The OSHA Safety Program, never before offered in conjunction with the
show, is a certificated workshop. Attendees will receive the OSHA
Standards for General Industry manual and the OSHA certificate of
completion. The 10-hour course is scheduled over two days, July 17 and
18, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. each day. Attendees must be present all
ten hours to receive the certificate.
Another “don’t miss” session is a panel on four distinct environmental
programs. Got Sustainability? Get the Facts on Industry Programs
combines representatives from BIFMA (Business and Institutional
Furniture Manufacturers Association) International, Composite Panel
Association (CPA), Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA) and
the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), who will share information on
these sustainable practice programs and how they will increasingly
impact the industry. Business owners will want to hear why these
programs are being developed, what are the eligibility criteria and what
are the benefits of building sustainably.
The popular Business Management track has doubled its selection of
course offerings to address more issues of primary concern to
businesses. Lean topics (in addition to the all-day simulation) include
Lean for Office Applications--the new Lean frontier—and Lean Continuous
Improvement which features representatives from Wood & Wood Products’
Wood 100 list of the fastest growing companies. Triple Training
Techniques presents three approaches to in-house training—creating
systems, writing operator manuals and motivating employees. Other key
sessions reveal how to take advantage of underutilized resources such as
the federal Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program and
workforce development opportunities through community colleges. There
are courses for First Time Supervisors, Designing Contracts, Profit
Savvy, Analyzing Financials, Business Growth and the Internet.
The AWFS® College of Woodworking Knowledge® Committee and fifteen
participating industry associations, education institutions and trade
magazines worked together to develop the lineup for the 2007 show.
Participating partners include the American Architectural Manufacturers
Association (AAMA), Architectural Woodwork Institute (AWI), The
Engineered Wood Products Association (APA), Business and Institutional
Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA), Build It Green, Cabinet
Makers Association (CMA), Composite Panel Association (CPA), Door &
Window, Furniture Society, Georgia Tech’s Advanced Wood Products
Laboratory, Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA), Mount
Wachusett Community College, Plastics Distributors & Fabricators, Wood &
Wood Products and the Woodwork Institute (WI).
“Working with these industry partners to expand our program demonstrates
our commitment to providing a truly qualitative program for our trade
show attendees,” says Philip Martin, of Hafele America Company, and
Chair of the CWWK Committee. “We draw on expertise from across the
industry on topic selection and identify those individuals best
qualified to address the topics.”
To show appreciation to the participating associations, AWFS® extends a
discount on all of the seminars to all members of the associations.
Members should contact their association for information on how to
receive the discount when registering.
Several key topics in the lineup will be addressed in both a classroom
seminar and a SMART technical seminar to “double” the learning
experience. Topics presented with this two-pronged approach include
tooling, fixturing and electrical troubleshooting. “This is an
experiment that combines presenting information in a lecture format with
a visual and tactile SMART session on the exhibit floor,” says Nancy
Fister, Education Director for AWFS. “We’ll see how it is received by
attendees to determine if we expand this format in 2009.”
The popular SMART (Special Machinery and Relevant Technology) seminars
scheduled for 7:30 a.m. before the show opens, will zero in on specific
issues on machine selection and processes, tooling, fixturing, sanding,
veneering, finishing and more. These technical programs will be
presented by Stiles Machinery, Inc., Georgia Tech, Holz-Her, Onsrud
Cutter LP, Delmac Machinery Group, RazorGauge, SCM and SA International.
Headphones will be provided to all attendees to screen out the ambient
show-floor noise.
In addition to the Business Management track, the full program offers
tracks in Cabinet/Millwork, Software & Technology, Techniques &
Applications, Safety & Environment, Hand-Crafted Furniture and a new
track designed specifically for educators who attend the show, the
Teacher Track.
Courses in the Cabinet/Millwork track feature an enlightening Kitchen
and Bath Design seminar that reveals the demand for flexibility and
accessibility in living spaces driven by the aging baby boomers; Trends
and Opportunities for the Window and Door market; Quality Custom
Finishes, Scheduling the Custom Shop and Designing the Client’s Dream.
In the Software & Technology segment, CNC Software Selection and the
Challenges of Nested Base Manufacturing keep company with Fixturing
Techniques, Creating Cutlists and Machine Networking; as well as brand
new topics on Electrical Schematics on Woodworking Machines and
Electrical Troubleshooting.
The Techniques & Applications track features segments on Tooling, a
critical aspect of the manufacturing process that often takes a backseat
to machine and software instruction; and Cutting Plastics, Veneering,
Finishing and Structural Panel Applications.
Under Safety & Environment, attendees can choose from Getting the
Competitive Edge on Green Building, the OSHA Safety Training, Workforce
Safety and the Sustainability panel.
AWFS® continues its tradition of offering courses for the fine furniture
makers in the Hand-Crafted Furniture track. This year’s lineup includes
4 renowned craftsmen: Peter Gedrys instructs in Making Color Work for
You; Graham Blackburn takes a practical approach to the ever challenging
topic of Design; Paul Schurch tackles Veneering and Michael Fortune
repeats a 2005 favorite, Five Ways to Form Wood. Andrew Glasgow,
director of the Furniture Society addresses Marketing Strategies for
independent craftsmen.
The new Teacher Track offers a CNC topic delivered in both a classroom
presentation and a SMART session; and Vacuum Forming and Marquetry
seminars that emphasize techniques for teaching students. Special
registration policies and pricing information for teachers and students
is available online at
www.AWFSfair.org.
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available for all of the education
programs. Attendees can receive certificates for any individual CWWKTM
seminar on-site, customized with their name and the credit hours for the
seminar.
Sessions range from an hour and a half to full-day workshops. Seminars
are priced individually with costs starting at $55 up to $150 (pre-June
25 pricing). These prices are before any applicable discounts.
Information is available online and on registration forms.
AWFS® will again offer its good faith satisfaction money-back guarantee
on all seminars. Refunds are processed after the show.
Full program information is available online at
www.AWFSfair.org and registration
for the seminars is now open and available online. Brochures can be
requested by calling AWFS® at 800.946.2937.
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