February Professional Development Meeting

Presentation Overview:

• Supplier Assessment & Qualification
  • Operating System
  • Social Compliance
  • Regulatory Compliance
  • Financial Risk
  • Geopolitical Risk
• Information, Communication,& Process Management.

Speaker Bio: 

Bill Hays is currently Director of Supplier Development for La-Z-Boy, Inc. in Monroe, MI, where he led the creation and deployment of La-Z-Boy’s Global Supplier Development Process. In this role he is responsible for qualification, approval and performance management of over 500 suppliers of raw materials, components, assemblies and electrical systems in the Americas, Asia and Europe.

He holds degrees in Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering and Business and is a Certified Lean Six-Sigma Master Black Belt. He is also an ASQ Certified Manager of Quality and Organizational Excellence and has been certified as an ISO/TS16949 Lead Auditor.

Bill joined La-Z-Boy in 2010 as Quality Director at La-Z-Boy’s largest manufacturing center in Dayton, TN. While there, he spearheaded the implementation of Quality-at-the-Source programs including Layered Process Auditing and Statistical Process Control. He also led the campus-wide implementation of Toyota Kata as a continuous improvement methodology.

Prior to joining La-Z-Boy, Bill held leadership positions in R&D, Process Engineering and Quality at several Automotive Tier 1 Suppliers including Bendix, Allied-Signal, Tenneco, and Rockwell Automotive.

Bill is a senior member of ASQ and past chair of the Old English Section in South Carolina. He currently serves as Treasurer on the Great Lakes Region Board of Directors for the Association of Manufacturing Excellence.