Plant Tour - Manitowoc (Shady Grove, PA) (September 22, 2026)

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Companies actively engaged in Lean offer a treasure trove of information when it comes to their respective Lean journeys. Benchmarking these companies brings you new ideas, an affirmation of your current practices, and an opportunity to be spurred on and take next steps in your own organization. To that end, we are continuing to bring you monthly tours so you can take advantage of this knowledge base. Each plant tour offers a unique opportunity to dialog with peers from across industries and functions about best practices, challenges and solutions to moving your organization forward.

LEAN MANUFACTURING PLANT TOUR

Join the Maryland World Class Consortia for a trip to Pennsylvania to tour Manitowoc! The Manitowoc Company, Inc. (“Manitowoc” or the “Company”) is a leading global provider of engineered lifting solutions with a history dating back to 1902. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Manitowoc designs, manufactures, markets, and supports a broad portfolio of crane products and related services for customers across construction, infrastructure, energy, industrial, and specialty lifting applications.

The Company serves customers through some of the most recognized brands in the lifting industry, including Grove, Manitowoc, National Crane, Potain, Shuttlelift, and Upfits by Aspen Equipment, along with support-focused businesses such as MGX Equipment Services. Together, these brands reflect

Manitowoc’s commitment to safe, productive, and reliable lifting solutions backed by lifecycle parts, service, training, financing, and customer support.

Shady Grove Campus Overview

The Shady Grove, Pennsylvania campus is Manitowoc’s largest crane manufacturing facility and a critical hub within the Company’s global manufacturing footprint. The campus spans approximately 300 acres and includes large-scale manufacturing, fabrication, machining, welding, paint, testing, and final assembly capabilities supporting mobile hydraulic cranes, lattice-boom crawler cranes, boom trucks, industrial cranes, and related products.

The Manitowoc Way

Manitowoc’s lean operating philosophy, known as “The Manitowoc Way,” is focused on continuously improving safety, quality, delivery, cost, and employee engagement. Lean principles are applied not only on the factory floor, but across functions including supply chain, engineering, finance, marketing, and customer support. The goal is to reduce waste, improve flow, strengthen problem-solving, and deliver greater value to customers.

On September 22, 2026, visitors will have the opportunity to observe how teams at Shady Grove use practical continuous improvement {“kaizen”) tools to enhance safety, improve first-pass quality, increase productivity, reduce lead times, and create more efficient work processes. The visit is intended to provide a firsthand look at how disciplined lean thinking supports Manitowoc’s broader strategy and strengthens execution across a complex, high-mix manufacturing environment.

For more information, visit www.manitowoc.com.

Agenda (Subject to change):

09:00 - 09:15 Introduction/Refreshments

09:15 - 09:45 Host presentation on company, Lean journey, and tour specifics

09:45 - 11:15 Tour

11:15 - 11:30 Tour Debrief

11:30 - 12:30 Wrap Up/Lunch/Networking – Everyone to join in & discuss with MWCC & wrap up!

If you have any special dietary requirements, please contact us, and we will do our best to arrange alternative selections.

Substitutions for registrants permitted. No refunds.

3-Day Lean Training: Learn the BASICS® (November 03, 2026)

Tue, 03 Nov 2026 05:00:00 GMT

New 3-Day Lean Training: Learn the BASICS®.

Apply It Monday Morning.

MWCC is pleased to announce a new 3-day, hands-on Lean foundations program, presented in partnership with Business Improvement Group (BIG).

November 3–5, 2026
8:30 AM–4:30 PM daily
Clarksburg, Maryland | In Person

This is not three days of sitting in a classroom listening to Lean theory.

Participants will learn the BASICS® Lean Implementation Model and then put it to work—seeing waste, understanding one-piece flow, practicing the core analysis tools, and working through a live improvement simulation. The program is intentionally designed around a 40/40/20 mix of instruction, hands-on application and world-class examples.

During the three days, participants will work with:

The 8 wastes and how to identify them
Batching vs. one-piece flow
Product Flow Analysis
Workflow Analysis
Changeover / SMED
Standard work, 5S and visual management
Lean layouts, station balancing and material flow
Inventory and cost reduction
The Rapid Improvement Process
A live one-piece-flow assembly simulation
Planning to apply the learning back at work

The program is ideal for plant, value-stream and continuous improvement leaders; new or emerging operations leaders; production, materials and purchasing managers; and others who want the opportunity to learn alongside and benchmark with peers from other organizations.

Led by Dan Protzman

The program will be led by Dan Protzman, BIG Lean Master Practitioner and longtime MWCC consulting partner, whose experience spans manufacturing, medical devices, healthcare, banking and insurance. Dan has more than 10 years of experience implementing Lean and Agile worldwide, most recently with Toyota Connected, and is co-author of One-Piece Flow vs. Batching and The BASICS® Lean Implementation Model.

And every participant will leave with a copy of The BASICS® Lean Implementation Model—the step-by-step working reference behind the methodology used throughout the course.

Tuition: $2,250 per person

MWCC Member & Sponsor Benefit: Eligible Maryland-based member companies and sponsor organizations may qualify for 50% reimbursement. Restrictions apply; contact Joyce to confirm eligibility.
Includes all three days of training, course materials, daily catering and refreshments, a certificate of completion, and the BASICS® book. Organizations sending three or more participants receive a discounted per-person rate.

Class size is limited to 30 participants, allowing this to remain a genuinely hands-on, mixed-company learning experience.

Ready to move beyond knowing Lean concepts and start putting them to work?

REGISTER NOW

Download the Program Flyer.

The Maryland World Class Consortia upcoming events

Plant Tour - Manitowoc (Shady Grove, PA) (September 22, 2026)

3-Day Lean Training: Learn the BASICS® (November 03, 2026)