CHICAGO, IL -- March 22, 2004 -- Raine Consulting is pleased to announce a multi-city Lean Leadership one day seminar program for the Print Media industry to commence April 1, 2004 at the Marines' Memorial Club & Hotel in San Francisco. The other dates are May 12, 2004 Union League Club, Chicago; May 19, 2004, Princeton Club, New York City and June 29, 2004 Detroit Athletic Club, Detroit. These full day programs, partly sponsored by Creo Inc. are dynamic courses designed for Creative/Agency, Corporate and Publishing thought leaders to introduce a revolutionary framework for managing workflows that result in strategic success. The "Lean Leadership" executive curriculum offers participants an overview of the 'Lean Thinking' vision, concepts, and tools, taught by some of the industry's most influential educators and consultants. These engaging all day events will provide specialized core development tracks in Corporate, Publishing and Creative. Participants will attend one of the three tracks to learn more about the application of Lean principles to their unique work environments. Insider Quotes... "Over-capacity in the market, the surge of electronic media, and the competitive pricing environment are only a few of the underlying issues buyers and supplies are dealing with today," says Susan Kelly of Raine Consulting. "These challenges demand knowledge of new business methods and the ability to craft a dynamic and evolutionary business plan. Technology has increased the demand for proven ways to transform the business. The answer is 'Lean Thinking' in Print Media." Steven Schnoll, of Schnoll Media will be one of the facilitators of the program. Says Schnoll, "the fundamental idea behind Lean Thinking... is straightforward - doing more with less and still making sure customers get exactly what they want. Lean is not only a well-accepted methodology in today's leading supply chain businesses around the world....it's a strategic weapon for improving the bottom line." Graphic communication companies, both buyers and suppliers, that can align the right technology and systems, with the right people and the right workflows, using the concepts of lean, will develop organizations based on the highest value-add activities ensuring the highest ROI. These program teach the Lean concepts to the entire print media supply chain: from print buyers, agencies and content creators to printers, packagers and publishers to supporting supply chain companies (paper, ink, and technology). Conference Overview... Showcasing 'Lean Thinking' in Print Media: The program workshops include: -- An overview of Lean Manufacturing, Lean Office and Lean Selling; -- A thorough grounding in the five principles of Lean and how they can work for graphic communication companies; -- Understanding the role of performance measures, benchmarking, best practices, and standards; -- Lean Case Studies for graphic communications; -- Individual assessment tools to plot the most critical areas of impact and prioritization within your own company; -- The 'How-To's' in getting a Lean program started in your organization; -- Creating a company roadmap to Lean, with a strategic vision and project plan for immediate implementation. Participant Profile: Who Should Attend?... The workshop is focused on bringing together executives and senior level change-enabled managers from the print media industries including ad agencies, creative firms, publishers, content management companies, in-plant production groups, and supporting companies. Large corporate supply chain managers and buyers will also find the program engaging. Lean Leadership Dates and Locations... April 1st, 2004 - San Francisco May 12th, 2004 - Chicago May 19th, 2004 - New York June 29th, 2004 - Detroit Individual registration is $395, group rates available. To register, or for more information, please visit www.RaineConsulting.com/lean or call 630.629.3410.