Hugh R. Alley, P.Eng., is president and founder of First Line Training Inc. The company helps clients improve productivity and profits by building the skills of managers and supervisors. Hugh is an industrial engineer and has worked for over 25 years in a wide range of manufacturing settings. He has been a manager, a consultant, and a business owner. He has helped many organizations make significant gains in productivity. Hugh has trained over 900 supervisors and front-line leaders. He has run three different manufacturing firms, including several distribution centers. He has either designed or helped with the design and fit-out of almost a dozen factories and distribution centers. Prior to starting First Line Training in 2011, Hugh was Operations Manager and part owner of a manufacturing firm in Langley with 70 - 120 employees. Over 3 years the company reduced its lead time by 25%, its accident rate by 95%, and saw measured gains in productivity of 10 - 12% per year. Before that he worked as part of Grant Thornton LLP's manufacturing and distribution consulting practice. He spent five years working with the WCB of BC in a range of roles including managing staff development, managing a claims unit and running several large projects. Prior to joining the WCB he spent five years running his own consulting industrial engineering firm. Hugh has experience in a wide range of industries, including steel fabrication, pharmaceuticals, secondary wood manufacturing, mining, steel, wire, food processing, electronics assembly, appliance assembly, furniture, engineered wood products, yacht building, electrical transmission and others. In the public sector he has worked in education (public and post-secondary), health care, transportation, maintenance and employment standards. Hugh obtained his B.A.Sc. at University of Waterloo (Systems Design Engineering) and earned an M.Sc. in resource economics at Cornell, and a Master of Divinity at Vancouver School of Theology. Hugh has taught at UBC, SFU and BCIT. He writes a regular column for PLANT Magazine, and writes and presents frequently on the topics of staff development, training, lean manufacturing and quality.
