Ventana Medical Systems implemented creative strategies to strengthen employee engagement and safety. They collaborated with a Roche engineering team to automate a fluid delivery system testing process, reducing ergonomic injuries. This approach divided the project into building and testing phases, bringing automation to testing. It reduced injuries and improved quality and yield. Leadership explained how the solution would not negatively impact business metrics or compliance. The changes were recognized with a Roche Innovation Award.

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Presentation abstract
For: Association for Manufacturing Excellence International Conference 2015
Cincinnati, OH
October 19-23, 2015
Employee engagement through lean-driven innovation
Highlights
CREATIVELY IMPROVE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AND SAFETY
Implement a creative strategy for strengthening a culture of innovation; hear about effective change
management to overcome the challenge of employee ergonomic injuries and also contribute to better
overall quality and yield; leadership’s key role in supporting innovative solutions and building
employee engagement
Overview
Learn how Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. (Ventana) fosters a dynamic, forward-thinking culture
throughout the organization, including manufacturing. See how this embedded culture drives
employee engagement and safety. Hear about a Ventana collaboration with a Roche engineering
team in Mannheim, Germany to overcome the challenge of employee ergonomic injuries in the
building and testing of dispensers (precise fluid delivery systems). Get details on the company’s
related improvement process: dividing the project into two phases (build and test), bringing
automation to the test phase and achieving a reduction in injuries as well as improved overall quality
and yield. This approach, incorporating Jidoka principles (part of the Toyota Production System), was
recognized with the Roche Innovation Award. Gain an understanding of leadership’s key attribute,
change management: explaining why the solution was proposed and how it would not negatively
impact business or compliance/deliverables from the project/return on investment (ROI) and also
assuring that no jobs would be lost as a result of the improvements.
Company
Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. ("VMSI") (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX:RHHBY), a member of the Roche
Group, innovates and manufactures instruments and reagents that automate tissue processing and
slide staining for cancer diagnostics. VENTANA products are used in clinical histology and drug
development research laboratories worldwide. The company's intuitive, integrated staining, workflow
management platforms, and digital pathology solutions optimize laboratory efficiencies to help
reduce errors, support diagnosis and enable informed treatment decisions by anatomic pathology
professionals. Together with Roche, VMSI is driving Personalized Healthcare through accelerated drug
discovery and the development of companion diagnostics to identify the patients most likely to
respond favorably to specific therapies.
Speaker: Himanshu Parikh

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Himanshu Parikh is the vice president of manufacturing operations at Ventana Medical Systems, Inc.
in Tucson, AZ. He is responsible for overall manufacturing of instruments, reagents, service parts and
supply chain. He manages a team of 350 people and previously worked at Digene Corporation,
PerkinElmer Life Sciences and Beckton & Dickinson. Parikh earned a Ph.D. in microbiology from M.S.
University in India and an MBA degree from the University of Maryland. Parikh is a certified six sigma
black belt.