Operations Transformation and Integrating TWI
Dean Burrows

Dedication and commitment to transforming an organization is key to success. Commitment comes in many forms, but always starts at the top. This session will focus on the role of leadership in aligning organization resources to implement a successful operations transformation and how TWI becomes an integral tool for success.

Dean Burrows, President of Nixon Gear, will review the history of Nixon Gear, its past attempts at operations transformation, and how the most recent effort became rooted in the new culture of the organization. He will take you on the journey and share success and failures along the way. He will also share how to roll a process out corporate wide to achieve the biggest impact for the company and ultimately the customer.

Real-life examples will be shared on how using the correct tools at the right time can not only change your business, but create competitive advantages.

Upon completion of this session, participants will learn…

• The role of leadership in transforming a business.

• Lessons learned, including winning strategies and pitfalls.

• How TWI is a critical element in driving standard business processes.

• Why going against the “perceived” norms can yield amazing results.

About the Presenter(s)

Dean joined Nixon Gear in June, 2008 as President. Before that, he was Vice President of Operations at Marietta Corporation in Cortland, New York. Before joining Marietta, Dean worked for Carrier Corporation, a Division of United Technology, and served as Director of Supply Chain for Carrier Corporation’s Residential Light Commercial International Division. Dean has extensive international experience and lived in Paris France for 3 years while leading an acquisition integration. Prior to this, he worked for General Motors, Acro Industries and Bausch and Lomb. Dean has over 20 years of Operations experience from various industries including: automotive, medical device, industrial, and consumer products. This broad industry experience has added a fresh perspective to Nixon Gear.

Dean is very involved in his community and has served on many non- and not-for-profit Boards. These include: Advisory Board to the Center for Continuous Improvement Studies (CCIS) at Onondaga Community College, Leadership Greater Syracuse and the Manufacturer’s Association of Central New York.

Dean has a Master's of Engineering Management and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology. A life-long resident of New York, Dean has lived in Utica, Albany, Rochester and Syracuse. Dean is happy to share his life with his wife Lia and their three children Alex (18), Chris (16) and Meaghan (13).