TSMA Plant Tours & Hot Topics Speaker Series

TSMA Plant Tours ("Best Practice Visits")

What are best practice visits?

Best practice visits, or plant tours, are coordinated to give company decision makers the opportunity to observe operations and processes in other manufacturing environments.  TSMA members are frequently invited to tour manufacturing plants that exhibit “best practices” in any number of different areas including Lean manufacturing, sustainable business practices, innovation, etc.  These visits showcase the innovative practices of those who have been identified as successful problem-solvers and allow TSMA members the opportunity to draw upon their expertise and experience.  

Where will the next TSMA plant tour be?

Gibbs Die Casting
Tuesday, March 7, 2012
8 - 10:30 am
369 Community Drive
Henderson, KY  42420

Registration Information:
This plant tour is FREE and open to the first 30 TSMA members registered. Corporate members will be given first priority.
To register, please contact Lydia Johnson, Business Services Manager, at 812-433-5090 or email ljohnson@ccswin.com

Past TSMA Plant Tours:

Brake Supply (Evansville, IN) - September 13, 2011
Brake Supply, an ISO certified company, has successfully developed remanufacturing standards that meet or exceed OE specifications. On September 13, 2011, Brake Supply opened their doors for TSMA members to experience why they truly believe that their people are the keys to their success.  TSMA members heard from President and CEO, Kevin Koch, and learned that Brake Supply has over 300,000 sq. ft. of state-of-the-art rebuild facilities and over 30 million dollars in inventory strategically located throughout North America.


VU's Haas Technical Education Center (Vincennes, IN) - April 21, 2011
TSMA members were invited to explore Vincennes University’s ICAT (Indiana Center for Applied Technology) Building labs. The ICAT Building houses VU’s new state-of-the-art Haas Technical Education Center (HTEC). TSMA members got the chance to see exhibits and operate Haas CNC machining, coal mining and ABB robotic demonstrations.


Berry Plastics (Evansville, IN) - Feb. 10, 2011 & Dec. 7, 2010
TSMA members were invited (on two different occasions!) to see first-hand how Berry Plastics has remained a leading manufacturer and marketer of plastic packaging products. 

The presentation that Berry Plastics designed for TSMA members included an overview of the company and the product lines produced within the corporation.  Click here to see the December event flyer!


OFS Brands (Huntingburg, IN) - September 14, 2010
We invited TSMA members to come see first-hand how OFS Brands "creates innovative furniture and logistic solutions" in a LEAN way. 

OFS Brands, the largest independently owned manufacturer of wood commercial office furniture in the United States, prepared a unique Lean Presentation just for TSMA.  Click here to learn more about the customized plant tour.

For more information about TSMA plant tours, contact:
Joe Barker, Plant Tour Committee Lead, at jbarker@wabashplastics.com.

Hot Topics Speaker Series   

What is the Hot Topics Speaker Series?  

The Hot Topics Speaker Series is conducted via webcast which can be viewed from your desktop or at one of the Chamber conference rooms at Innovation Pointe.  

Current manufacturing webcasts are available at:

BKD  Click here

Harding Shymanski & Company  Click here

Industry Week  Click here 

What are examples of topics that are included in the Speaker Series?  

A recent TSMA hosted webcast was “Five Low Cost Lean Initiatives with Big Returns!” sponsored by Purdue University and held at The Chamber of Commerce of Southwest Indiana office.  

How will I hear about the topics, times and location of Speaker Series events?

Details on upcoming Speaker Series webcasts will be included in the TSMA newsletter that is emailed to members on a monthly basis.  Register for events by contacting Julie Ko at 812.425.8147 or jko@ccswin.com.