OESA invites regular and affiliate members to a members-only town hall meeting with Chris Nielsen, vice president, purchasing, vehicle parts and materials, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., on August 5, 2008, at The Inn at St. John’s, Plymouth, Mich.  Additional Toyota North American procurement team executives will be available before and after the meeting for informal discussions.  This event is open to OESA members only.

 

Two-way communication is at the core of Toyota’s working relationship with suppliers.  In this period of supply chain financial vulnerability, Toyota is particularly interested in understanding potential issues through its entire supply base.  Nielsen will discuss Toyota’s North American purchasing initiatives and respond to attendee questions.

 

Toyota continues to focus on five critical supplier expectations:

· Safety – to allow workers to concentrate on manufacturing

· Quality – to achieve customer satisfaction

· Delivery and Production – to support flexible, error-free execution

· Cost – to offer the highest customer value

· Technology – to meet, and exceed, customer environmental protection, safety and comfort expectations

 

For suppliers, OESA town hall meetings are an effective, additional channel of communication with Toyota to address these and other important issues.  Nielsen will spend a majority of the time taking questions from attendees.

 

Nielsen joined Toyota as a buyer in the Georgetown, Ky., plant in 1987.  In addition to his purchasing experience, Nielsen served as chief production manager for the Tundra and Sequoia, leading the overall manufacturing preparation in San Antonio, Texas. 

 

Members may register and network with Toyota purchasing executives from 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.  The town hall, including the question answer session, will be held 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.  Do not miss this important opportunity to interface with Toyota at this very senior level.

 

OESA members may register in the events section of http://www.oesa.org.  For registration questions, contact Felece Hickman at 248.952.6401 ext. 237 or fhickman@oesa.org.   For program information, contact Dave Andrea at 248.952.6401 ext. 228 or dandrea@oesa.org.

 

Note:  Refunds cannot be given after July 29, 2008.  Substitutions are always welcome. Pay at the door registrants are held to the same cancellation policy as prepaid registrants and will be invoiced if cancellation is not received by July 29, 2008.  Fax the completed registration form to 248.952.6404 or register online at http://www.oesa.org.