Hollywood, Fla. NASFM members will gather at the Providence Marriott, Providence, R.I., Feb. 15-18, 2004, to explore manufacturing issues and concerns of store fixture manufacturing. Members and non-members are wecome. Information and registration details are available online at www.nasfm.org.

Topics include:

• Value Stream Mapping - Take Lean Manufacturing to the Next Level. This half-day interactive session, led by Schuler Associates Inc., will focus on the vision for the entire manufacturing function and beyond to link the entire enterprise. The session will provide the understanding and tools needed to see the whole system and pull together a team to understand current reality, then apply lean systems to design the future state of manufacturing in your plant.

• Leadership in a Changing Environment. This interactive session will explore the essence of what it takes to be an effective leader today in your organization. Larry Hulsmans of LH Consulting will address why we are in a leadership crisis today and what companies can do about it within their organizations. Techniques for engaging your workforce and bringing out their leadership potential will be discussed.

• Other topics will include: Doing Business in China, Change in the Workplace, Supply Chain Management, Automation, Capitalizing on Short Lead Times, Flexibility in Operations, Equipment Cost Justification, and The Transition from Craftsman to Knowledge Worker.

Plant Tours: Participants will tour Nypro, Monarch Industries, and Franklin Fixtures.

NASFM is an international, not-for-profit association representing the store fixture manufacturing industry since 1956. The association's membership includes more than 350 regular member companies operating over 700 plants and employing more than 75,000 people worldwide; an additional 250 industry suppliers are associate members. NASFM members manufacture an estimated 85 percent of all store fixtures produced in North America.

Editor's note: Please add this event to your print and online calendars of industry events. An Illustrator EPS file of the Manufacturing Seminar logo can be downloaded at http://www.retailenvironments.org/MS04_Logo.cfm.