PROFILE: Mr. Robert Torrani

Mr. Robert Torrani has been actively implementing lean for 11 years at the enterprise level and has 35 years of diversified experience spanning aeronautical engineering, systems engineering, quality management, manufacturing operations, advanced manufacturing technology, and  information technology. Bob’s experience is with aerospace, defense, automotive, and commercial operations. Working with the MIT-USAF-Industry Consortium, Lean Aerospace Initiative, Bob co-authored the Transition-to-Lean
Roadmap to shift operations from legacy to lean production.  Bob started his career as a National Science Foundation fellow, in the field of aeronautics and astronautics. He holds a B.S. Degree in Aerospace Engineering and a M.S. in Aeronautics and  Astronautics from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn.  His thesis on “Rarefied Nozzle Flow,” resulted in his winning the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Award  for Research Excellence. Bob is currently the Director of the Manufacturing and Supply Chain Initiative (MSCI) within CCAT  (Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology).  MSCI’s mission  is to strengthen our nation's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), specifically manufacturing
companies, to effectively compete in a more complex supply chain and gain advantage through both their individual and collective capabilities.  MSCI is an integral part of National Center for Aerospace Leadership (NCAL), a multi-state consortium with the main goal of addressing critical needs of the aerospace and
defense manufacturing supply chain.  The NCAL is funded by the U.S. Air Force to evaluate and transition new manufacturing technology to SMEs.  Current technology focus includes factory floor modeling to support lean manufacturing, physics based modeling and simulation to support machining optimization, and the use of advanced lasers for material processing and manufacturing applications.

Bob is also an adjunct professor of the Lally School of Management and Technology at Rensselaer Hartford.  He teaches a graduate course, “Management of Quality, Processes, and Reliability”,
each spring semester.

PROFILE: Dr. Gary Rosentreter

Dr. Gary E. Rosentreter  has extensive executive level experience in organizational development and human resources.  He also has a significant background in the quality arena, having been responsible for several quality systems and process improvement implementations. Dr. Rosentreter   spent several  years serving as the Executive Director of The Connecticut Quality Council.  His primary interest is in helping organizations use intervention tools that focus on process improvement and the human side of change management to enhance their business results.