COE Volunteer Spotlight with Tim Enns

Tim Enns is the Process Interest Committee (PIC) Manufacturing Manager. He is also a recent recipient of the COE Award of Merit.

When did you begin your COE Volunteer participation?
 
Enns:  My first COE conference was in the Spring of 1989 in Boston. I participated in many conferences and started getting more involved in the Manufacturing Tips and Techniques Sessions in 1997. My position in the PIC organization came in the Spring of 2000 when I accepted Chairmen of Numerical Control. This later turned into managing all the Committees in Manufacturing Division.

How does your leadership contribute to Process Interest Committees (PIC)?
 
Enns: Leading by example promotes a good teaming environment. Also, by keeping the committees well informed on all the changes in the program. Getting our team members more involved in COE activities promotes better programs and sessions. Looking into the future, our programs must evolve with the changing member company requirements.

What are the key benefits of COE Conferences to you and your company?

Enns:  Being able to network with other companies to see if they have the same issues and resolutions on the set of tools provided by Dassault Systèmes (and their partners). Also, the educational sessions provides some needed training in all areas of our digital environment. The DPC’s provide the venue to hear from Dassault Systèmes on the direction of future releases. If you have a requirement you believe is important to your digital environment, you can work with the DPC committees that provide the developers the information and track that enhancement. 
 
How do you work the COE Year-Round?

Enns:  Work in COE really never stops. The manufacturing committees are active year round. We start the day after the Annual Conference working toward the next conference.  This activity includes working on the compelling business issues of member companies and building our network. Also, taking advantage of the Ask the Experts, Workshops, and some RUGS, your plate gets filled quickly. When ever I see some company that is doing something different, or unique, I engage them to share this experience with the COE Manufacturing community of practice. 

How do you make a handshake between the PIC and DPC ?

Enns:  I believe the handshake between the Manufacturing PIC and DPC is not quite the right use of terms. The manufacturing PIC and DPC are “integrated” and perhaps one of the best models for integration within COE. We each (PIC and DPC) have a unique mission that we keep very clear. However, together we provide a total program to our community of practice. I include the Manufacturing DPC on all items I send out throughout the year. This includes getting inputs from them on what our program could be. We are one manufacturing team.

How do you develop your conference program?
 
Enns: Since the conference is exchanging implementation experience and processes, the manufacturing team focuses on what the attendee would like to see in the next program. At the beginning of the PIC breakout sessions, a handout is given to each person to solicit what their issues are. We also ask what they would like to see in the program (including authors if available) and if they have a Tip or Technique that works for them. We tabulate this information for the manufacturing community to start researching for presentations. The Manufacturing Roundtable is another very informative activity where we have the ability to gather what are the current business issues.

Is there something unique that you do to make it work? What is the secret? 
 
Enns:  I believe getting the COE manufacturing community involved as much as possible makes a better program and member experience. The more questions and inputs you can get, makes it easier to focus on meeting member needs. The roundtables and forums are some of the best places to get the people involved.

From your Perspective … What are the benefits of COE Membership?

Enns: The benefits of COE that I get are bringing the manufacturing community together to talk and understand the set of tools we are all trying to implement in our companies.  Sharing information on simple items might help someone in another industry. COE is not only an Annual conference where you come, sit and listen. It's building a network of people you talk with anytime of the year!

Enter the “Where in the World is COE?” Contest!

Have you ever wondered where your fellow COE members have traveled? COE’s newest contest will give you the opportunity to share all of the places you’ve been as we find out, Where in the World is COE?

Whether you’ve traveled around the country or around the world, we want to see where you have been representing COE.  Simply submit a picture of yourself with a COE t-shirt, hat or other COE logo item, and you will automatically be entered into the contest – and have a chance to win a great COE logo prize!

Submit your photo to coe@coe.org.  The first 25 submissions will receive a COE logo item!
 
Winners will be selected at random by COE HQ and will be announced in the November/December 2007 issue of NewsNet. All submissions will be placed online for viewing at www.coe.org. 

By submitting a photo of yourself, you are giving COE permission to post the photo its Web site and use in further marketing of this contest. COE HQ will accept all photos in the following formats: .jpeg; .tif; .gif; .pdf.