Topic(s)
- People-centric leadership
Overview
Join Ultradent on an epic quest to destroy the One Ring of escalating costs in manufacturing, where survival hinges on eliminating this burden without increasing prices for our customers or sacrificing quality. Ultradent’s journey begins where the challenge appears insurmountable, and attitudes of indifference, pushback and firefighting prevail. With the long road ahead of its heroes, they needed a solid team and network of allies to pave the road before them. Its heroes were reluctant, weak and naive. To succeed, they needed to take a chance, acquire tools and gain wisdom in manufacturing excellence.
Despite victories in battle after battle, they were stalling. When things got dire, they reached the pivotal moment where continuous improvement mentors had to step back, underscoring that CI cannot always lead. In this crucial moment, true leaders emerged, empowering the heroes to continue the journey. Transformed, the heroes began teaching teammates while CI allies embarked upon new journeys with other departments. Join Ultradent as they tell this story of connecting their Kitting team with their allies, evolving their outlook and transforming the lives of their coworkers across the enterprise.
Key learning objectives
1. Identifying key people will determine whether the idea spreads or dies.
2. Converting knowledge/information into a form that is geared toward the audience and thus “sticks,” causing learning and growth.
3. Shifting the context of learning to allow people to stop firefighting and take time to empower themselves.
Company
Ultradent’s mission is to “Improve Oral Health Globally” through science, creativity and education. It strives to provide clinicians with progressive and trustworthy solutions while always respecting the patient and promoting their well-being. https://www.ultradent.com/
Presenters
Nicholas Gordon is a dedicated member of a continuous improvement (CI) team, driving engagement and innovation at a 45-year-old company. With a rich background spanning various facets of manufacturing, Gordon’s career is characterized by a relentless focus on the success and transformation of those around him. Starting his journey in a Warehouse, Gordon navigated through the complexities of food manufacturing and honed his expertise in learning and development within human resources. This diverse experience has culminated in his current role in the CI world, where he leverages his extensive knowledge to foster growth and efficiency. 
Marc Mallari, a member of Ultradent Products Inc.’s full-time continuous improvement team, serves as the team’s engineer. He spearheads the implementation of an enterprise-wide computerized maintenance management system, drawing on lessons learned from total productive maintenance (TPM) and reliability-centered maintenance (RCM). As a facilitator and IT-to-manufacturing liaison, Mallari drives data-driven manufacturing initiatives, enhancing the automated collection of edge data for trend analysis and decision-making. His most notable achievement involves significantly reducing variation on Ultradent’s whitening tray lines, leveraging Lean Six Sigma Black Belt tools to identify and address variations and waste.
Marc’s academic journey began at Brigham Young University-Hawaii. Desiring to pivot into dancing and engineering, he transferred to the University of Utah, where he demonstrated his leadership as a ballroom dance team captain for two years. His formal education culminated in earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biomedical engineering from the University of Utah. While in school, he started his professional career as a production worker, but he quickly advanced to the role of general manager for Nielsen’s Frozen Custard, where he got his first taste of process improvement. Education and work taught him that the blending of man and machine is the path forward in all facets of life.
Mallari seeks to grow by showcasing his passion for life with entrepreneurship. His journey is a testament to balancing professional success with family life and a commitment to continuous learning and improvement.
