Richmond, B.C. --  Self-described "Lean Maniac," Paul Akers, will keynote the Canadian Kitchen Cabinet Association's Western regional meeting at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport February 5-6.  Akers' topic is titled "Keep Lean Simple."  He is the founder and president of FastCap, a product development company specializing in woodworking tools and hardware for the professional builder. FastCap was started in Paul’s garage in 1997 when he simply “fixed what bugged him” and developed his first product: the Fastcap Cover Cap.

From humble beginnings, and no MBA, FastCap has thousands of distributors worldwide in over 40 countries. Paul’s intense curiosity on how things could be improved paved the way for him to become a prolific innovator and today he holds many U.S. and International patents. FastCap launches approximately 20-30 innovative products per year and has won business of the year in 199 and 2010. In June 2011 Paul won Seattle Business Magazine’s prestigious Business Executive of theYear award.  He wrote his first book, 2 Second Lean, about creating a fun, Lean culture, that, is now available in 11 languages. In 2015, he wrote his 2nd book, Lean Health and in 2016, he wrote Lean Travel. In 2016, Paul’s book, 2 Second Lean, was recognized by the Shingo Institute and won the Research and Professional Publication Award.

The event also features two plant tours, Sunrise Kitchens in Surrey and Pacific Rim Cabinets in Delta.  In addition, attendees will visit the Centre for Advanced Wood Processing at UBC Campus in Vancouver.

Other sessions include "Industry 4.0: Are you ready for advanced manufacturing?," presented by Sepp Gmeiner, Lignum Consulting and "Kitchen Appliance Considerations – What Cabinetmakers Need to Know," by Bruce Johnstone, Alpine Appliance Installations, Ltd. The event will conclude with at Manufacturer's Roundtable.  To register for the CKCA Western Regional Meeting click HERE.