HAYWARD, CA -- March 10, 2006 -- The City of Fairfield, in partnership with the Corporation for Manufacturing Excellence (Manex), will host a luncheon seminar on how implementing Lean Principles will help companies achieve business improvements that maximize performance and profitability in the areas of customer relations, administration, manufacturing, distribution and supply chain management. The seminar will be held Wednesday, March 22, 2006, 11:30 a.m. at the Rancho Solano Club House in Fairfield.

The presenter, Izzy Galicia, is Manex's Vice President of Client Services and a Shingo Award-winning manufacturing expert. Using real world examples, Galicia will demonstrate how implementing Lean techniques will improve production systems. Key Lean manufacturing principles that will be discussed are standardized work concepts, value stream mapping, visual signals, and pull systems.

Operating with a Lean system has many operational benefits, including:

• 90% Reduction in lead time (cycle time)
• 50% Increase in productivity
• 80% Reduction in work-in-process inventory
• 80% Improvement in quality
• 75% Reduction in space utilization

This lunch seminar costs $15 in advance and $20 at the door. One lucky seminar attendee will win an iPod, provided courtesy of Manex./p>

For more information and to register, visit www.manexconsulting.com/golean or call 510-404-4432 or 707-428-7039.

It is the mission of the City of Fairfield's Economic Development Division to develop and sustain a strong and diverse economic base that provides local employment opportunities and meets the service and shopping needs of the City and the region. In order to attract and retain quality jobs within the community, Fairfield is changing the way local government does business. The City's "can do" attitude is based upon the fundamental goal of providing superior customer service. Fairfield's pro-business government is ready to service the needs of new and existing businesses by offering business assistance services, informative publications, seminars and roundtables, and expedited permit processes.

About Manex
Founded in 1995, The Corporation for Manufacturing Excellence (Manex) (www.manexconsulting.com) provides a broad array of proven advisory and implementation solutions exclusively to manufacturers, distributors, and their supply chains, enabling them to increase growth, productivity, quality, and profitability. Manex delivers high-impact solutions in four key areas: strategy, people, process and performance. Meaningful, rapid impact and ROI are achieved through a modular-yet-holistic approach encompassing corporate strategy and planning, marketing strategy, training and development, lean manufacturing, supply chain and logistics, Six Sigma, ISO, and performance management systems.