Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - The 2011 Continuous Improvement Conference, April 10–13 in Kansas City, will feature four high-profile speakers discussing strategies and tactics leading to operational excellence and customer satisfaction. The four speakers are John Goodman, founder and vice chairman of TARP Worldwide; Mal Warrick, director of operations technology, innovation support, and product integrity for Hallmark; John Lowry, general manager, Harley-Davidson Vehicle and Powertrain Operations, and Gwendolyn Galsworth, principal, QMI/Visual-Lean Institute.

Keynoting the first day of the conference, Goodman, one of the founders of the customer experience industry, will reveal how the analysis of damage to loyalty and word of mouth can be used to quantify the revenue implications of better service and quality. His presentation will address using tactics such as first-call resolution and segmentation to improve satisfaction and loyalty and create bottom-line impact.

Lowry, GM of the plant conference attendees will be touring, will speak about how he executes his responsibility to maintain operational excellence by fostering individual and team accountability using continuous improvement activities and by encouraging innovative thinking. Lowry will also address questions stemming from the plant tour.

Keynoting the conference’s closing day is Warrick of Hallmark, who will explain the strategies Hallmark is using to increase its efficiency and spur product development. Warrick's team leads and supports process innovation, strategic projects, and ensures the integrity of Hallmark's products from design to production.

Galsworth is a well-known educator, implementer, and researcher in the field of Workplace Visuality. She will share the basic definitions, principles, and concepts that are at the foundation of a visual workplace and should be part of any improvement strategy.

These featured speakers join 25 industry presenters who will be imparting their knowledge and insights about continuous improvement. For more information on all of the sessions at the 2011 Continuous Improvement Conference, please visit http://www.printing.org/ciconference.