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Lean University -- Race City USA
for Contractors
Get in the class, then get on
the track with Lean University!
 Lean University -- Race City USA
is a one-of-a-kind Lean experience designed to help you
learn Lean construction by pairing it with another highly
accurate, highly streamlined activity that strives to
eliminate waste: NASCAR pit stops.
As you learn more about Lean,
you'll learn it's all about cutting waste out of your
processes. There are major parallels between eliminating
waste from your processes and eliminating waste from a pit
stop. Read on to learn more what a typical Race City USA
event looks like.
Day one
You will arrive at the
PIT
Instruction & Training facility located in the heart of
racing country, 25 minutes north of Charlotte, in
Mooresville, N.C. After you register, you'll find a seat in
the auditorium and that's where the day will begin.
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Lean University
attendees listen as one speaker explains Lean
concepts |
Simpler Consulting will make
a four-hour presentation on the fundamentals of Lean
construction. Simpler has ties to the earliest adopters of
Lean in America; their consultants are known all over the
world in Lean circles. They know the material backward and
forward and will explain to you what Lean is and how it can
reap rewards in your business if you have what it takes to
implement it.
Following a home-cooked lunch
(last time we had meatloaf, fried chicken, green beans,
mashed potatoes and pie), you'll hear two one-hour Lean case
studies: one from Appleton, Wis.-based Boldt Construction
and one from Milwaukee-based commercial contractor Grunau
Co. These are two of the earliest adopters of Lean
construction.
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Breon Klopp, PIT Instruction & Training |
Lastly, you will hear from
Breon Klopp, senior director of motor sports development for
PIT Instruction & Training, the business that trains NASCAR
pit crews how to do their job. Breon will explain how pit
stops and Lean are related. Then he will prepare you for day
two.
The evening is yours to do
what you will. But get a good night's sleep and eat a good
breakfast, because you're going to need it.
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Patrick Bernall prepares the attendees |
Day two
Right away on the second day, we'll split you up into
teams and introduce you to your pit crew coaches. These
coaches are in training to take their place on professional
race teams across the country. Patrick Bernall, former
jackman for the #45 Kyle Petty team and current front-tire
carrier for #4 Morgan-McClure Motorsports, will lead the
exercises.
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Blue Team
2 races to eliminate waste from their pit stop |
These guys understand Lean
and how streamlining pit stops is like streamlining your own
business processes. For the next four hours, you will learn
how to work together with complete strangers to eliminate
waste from a process you are not familiar with.
We'll show you why the right tools in the right place at the
right time is not just a slogan. We'll show you why
adaptability and accountability can mean the difference
between getting work done and wasting a day. And we'll show
you how the same Lean tools that apply in the pit box can
also apply on the jobsite.
Time to get to know your instructors. |
