Gain powerful insight to a practical, science-based approach to establishing and sustaining operational excellence. Many companies have invested heavily in technology (digital, optimization, ERP and AI) and continuous improvement (lean, six sigma, agile, TOC) yet still are not able to realize the benefits they expected.
Operations science fills a key gap in organizational knowledge that enables employees to use existing technology and existing CI efforts to overcome a company’s operations challenges. This has been demonstrated many times. Recent developments in operations science unlock analytical techniques for applying the framework to optimize profit.
This session will involve presentation, participatory exercises and lively dialog to address the challenges faced by organizations trying to establish, improve, or sustain operational excellence.
- Eliminate confusion about establishing and sustaining efficiency and effectiveness
- Learn new developments in operations science for optimizing profit
- Understand how to ensure your AI-operational excellences application efforts succeed
Conax Technologies is a global leader in the design and manufacture of temperature sensors, compression seal fittings, and cable and harness assemblies for a broad range of industries and applications.
For over 70 years, Conax customers have relied on our expertise and innovative ideas to provide both standard products and custom-designed solutions.
We understand that great minds don’t necessarily think ALIKE. Solutions and innovation happen when we think TOGETHER.
At Conax, we forge strong partnerships with our customers and take the time to understand your unique challenges. Our team of experienced engineers will apply our high standards of leading-edge design and quality manufacturing to developing a solution that helps you—and your customers—succeed.
Our commitment to delivering innovative, high-quality products on time and at a competitive cost makes us your indispensable partner. https://www.conaxtechnologies.com/
The Operations Science Institute's mission is to promote, teach, and coach application of operations science to:
- Eliminate widespread confusion about improving performance
- Help companies and individuals improve performance more quickly, and
- Sustain those improvements
This doesn’t require expensive technology or an army of consultants – just a more innovative way of thinking about and solving problems. Operations science makes your current workforce more productive using your existing technology.
The Operations Science Institute aims to become a global leader in advancing operations science as a transformative discipline, where organizations across all industries adopt science-based strategies and data-driven decision-making to predictably improve their operations leadership and project leadership. We provide comprehensive professional development that addresses a critical gap in the field between excessively complex academic or technical approaches and overly simple, “best practice” approaches. We envision a world where operational excellence is the norm and organizations achieve sustained success with science-based operations leadership frameworks and professional development resources tailored to their existing resources and technology. https://opscience.org
Bill Fierle is chief operating officer of Conax Technologies, a global leader in design and manufacture of temperature sensors, compression seal fittings, and cable assemblies for a broad range of industries and applications.
Bill’s previous experience includes president, vice president, general manager and director roles during sixteen years at Emerson Electric, where he ran three of Emerson’s strategic business units with global leadership responsibilities for manufacturing, sales, marketing, finance, human resources, information technology, engineering, and quality for manufacturing and engineering facilities in the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Asia.
He has extensive experience in applying operations science concepts throughout his career to increase on-time delivery while simultaneously reducing lead times and inventory levels.
Bill served in various position for nine years at the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) including stints as AME chairman, secretary, treasurer, and director-at-large.
Bill has a a master of business administration from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, a master of engineering management from the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science at Northwestern University, and a bachelor of fine arts in economics from Adrian College. 
Ed Pound has more than thirty years of experience in operations, having worked in general management, operations, purchasing, and product development. Ed has helped pioneer the advanced benefits that operations science brings to business through training and coaching of personnel from the operations floor to the C-suite. He has worked with top national and international manufacturing companies and in small, entrepreneurial ventures.
His career includes two years in Mito, Japan working at JVC Inc.’s Production Technology and Research Center and he was its only non-Japanese employee at the time. His experience areas include aerospace, electronics, pharmaceuticals, cloud infrastructure development, consumer retail, medical devices, healthcare, construction, insurance, health care, and engineer-to-order capital equipment.
Ed is co-author of "Operations Science Applied" (due out in June 2025). Ed was the lead author for McGraw-Hill’s lead business publication, "Factory Physics for Managers." He is a 2022 University of Alabama Mechanical Engineering Distinguished Fellow and Past President of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineering’s Work Systems division.
Ed earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Alabama, a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, and a Master of Engineering Management from the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science at Northwestern University.
