President of OptimiZ
Consulting, LLC
Kay Sever, CMC, CQIA

Continuous Improvement
     Coach, Consultant and Speaker


“Connecting People to Performance and Profits”


PEABODY ENERGY says:

“Kay teaches people to become self-sufficient and rolls up her sleeves to drive results. Our mine managers commented that Kay helped them see the world differently and zero in on the best ‘value opportunities’ for improvement. Kay knows how to change a culture.

I help companies identify, quantify and capture LOST OPPORTUNITY.
I use a systematic approach that reveals opportunity (in the form of hidden equipment/process capacity, excess costs and lost margin), removes barriers to improvement, and sustains improvement. My approach is different from conventional quality programs because they tend to focus on the implementation of improvement tools, but may not remove the underlying barriers that cause lost value and prevent sustainability. I balance tools with the “people side of improvement” to remove barriers and enable sustainability and culture change.

My clients learn how to improve productivity, reduce cost, avoid capital and maximize profit by:
  • Seeing problems as opportunities and understand the value of losses.
  • Finding, valuing and prioritizing hidden improvement opportunities (production time and production rates, revenues and costs).
  • Removing organizational barriers that prevent opportunities from being converted to additional profit margin and cause departments or management teams from working together effectively.
  • Selecting measures connected to value creation and using measures to identify opportunity and track improvement.
  • Changing the way they work to sustain improvements (what they measure, what they fix, how they communicate and how they work together).
  • Aligning the management system so that it helps drive and sustain improvement and culture change.

    I will work with you to deliver a customized solution for your organization:
  • Site-Wide Operations Improvement Systems – design, implementation, training, audit
  • Surgical approach – create/improve specific processes, work with specific departments
  • Process Improvement Team facilitation – departments, processes, cross-functional
  • Management Coaching – Improvement Leadership - driving and sustaining change
  • Workshops designed for your audience and topic of interest

    I strive for honest discussions about problems and common sense solutions. To help employees understand concepts, tools and end goals, I share real-life success stories and examples relevant to equipment operators, maintenance techs, engineers, support function groups and management teams.

    My Qualifications - Don’t let this pretty face fool you!
    • Graduate of Krannert School of Management, Purdue University
    • CMC (Certified Management Consultant), CQIA (Certified in Quality Improvement)
    • 26 years in the mining industry...
      • 4 years in systems design and implementation (mobile equipment tracking systems, maintenance systems, budgeting systems and financial systems).
      • Past work experience in Financial Management, Analysis, Budgeting, Reporting, and Marketing, some of which was concurrent with continuous improvement work.
    • 11 years in Continuous Improvement. Specializes in the following areas that drive success:
      • Valuing and prioritizing lost opportunities. (I am the industry expert for valuation and have customized methodologies for calculating product and productivity losses and excess costs.
      • Selecting performance measurements linked to opportunities and action plans for improvement.
      • Finding hidden opportunities in planned downtime (operations and maintenance).
      • Removing barriers between departments (driven by data flow, communications, budgets and other management processes, etc.).
      • Identifying customer/supplier requirements and determining if they are being met.
      • Process mapping and setting optimums for processes and value streams.
      • Creating effective processes co-owned by multiple departments.
      • Coaching management teams on how to manage change and sustain improvement.
    • Training / Facilitation:
      • Designed/conducted training sessions and facilitated workshops in the USA, Canada and South America.
      • Facilitated Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and attended Rapport Leadership.
    • Affiliations:
      • Current: Institute of Management Consultants, National Speakers Association, American Society for Quality, Business Volunteers for the Arts
      • Past: Arizona Mining Association, Economic Development Councils (Arizona and Colorado), Arizona Quality Alliance

    Need a Unique and Memorable Speaker?

    Each year I am privileged to speak at several conferences.

    Click on NEED A SPEAKER? for a list of
    past conferences, topics and testimonials
    from conference planners and attendees.

  • Home | About Us | Client List/Testimonials | Contact Us | Site Map | Links

    Kay M. Sever, President
    OptimiZ Consulting LLC
    P. O. Box 337, Gilbert, AZ. USA 85299
    Office: 480-545-9095, Cell: 480-223-2230

    ©2004 OptimiZ Consulting, LLC

    Workshops | Products | Prior Engagements/References | Upcoming Events | Mining Industry | Other Industries
    Support Functions | Process Flows & Process Orientation | Customized Tools to Drive Improvement
    ISO-9001/Six Sigma Connections | Identifying/Valuing Untapped Potential | Cost of Quality | Optimizing Processes
    Proactive Equipment Delay Management | Eliminating Bottlenecks & Avoiding Capital
    Measuring Project Effectiveness | Executing Action Plans | Removing Barriers | Changing the Way You Work
    Connecting People to Performance | Meeting Expectations

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