Third Time’s The Charm

The 3rd Annual LIFT All Members Meeting was held last month, complete with updates and highlights on technology projects and workforce initiatives, as well as taking a look at the future of the institute.

LIFT conducts their 3rd. Annual Member’s meeting at The Henry in Dearborn, Mich. Monday, Sept. 25, 2017.
Gary Malerba for LIFT

The day-and-a-half meeting was held at The Henry Hotel in Dearborn, Michigan. LIFT members and partners introduced the audience to:

• Soldiers participating in Operation Next at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky;
• The middle schooler who designed and made Finley The Fabricator, the MakerMinded mascot;
• Real-time updates on the technology project to reduce fatal Humvee rollovers for our soldiers;
• How the project designed to reduce welding distortion when building ships is learning from the auto industry;
• An update from the Expert Educator Team and how it is translating LIFT technology projects into recommended curriculum changes at colleges and universities.

LIFT conducts their 3rd. Annual Member’s meeting at The Henry in Dearborn, Mich. Monday, Sept. 25, 2017.
Gary Malerba for LIFT

The audience heard from the institute leadership, in the form of the LIFT Executive Advisory Council, during a panel discussion on the future of LIFT, including some of the things the institute is doing well and some areas it might need to focus more on in the future.

The meeting also featured guest speaker, Dr. James Womack, founder of the Lean Institute, who discussed the importance of streamlining processes – whether it is on the manufacturing floor or the way projects are planned, developed and executed.

LIFT conducts their 3rd. Annual Member’s reception at Henry Ford Museum Of American Innovation in Dearborn, Mich. Monday, Sept. 25, 2017.
Gary Malerba for LIFT

One Day Two, both the Technology and Education & Workforce Development groups were able to take time to talk as groups and dive deep into those areas and map plans forward.

The post-meeting survey indicated a vast majority of LIFT members enjoying the sessions and looking forward to coming back for the 4th Annual Meeting in 2018.

For a little relaxation and networking, LIFT hosted a Monday evening reception at The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.

Day three was new this year and provided members with a special sneak peek of the LIFT High Bay. Read more about that here.

LIFT conducts their 3rd. Annual Member’s meeting at The Henry in Dearborn, Mich. Monday, Sept. 25, 2017.
Gary Malerba for LIFT