Manufacturers Resource Center Hosts Expanded Santa’s STANDARD WORKshop — A Growing Regional Tradition of Lean Learning, Holiday Giving, and Community Impact
For Immediate Release
Patricia Felise | Manufacturers Resource Center
December 2, 2025
Allentown, PA — The Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC) is proud to announce the return of its much-anticipated Santa’s STANDARD WORKshop, a unique hands-on Lean Manufacturing training event that doubles as a powerful community service initiative. The workshop will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, December 9-10, 2025, at MRC’s training facility in Allentown.
What began as a single workshop is now becoming a regional holiday tradition, blending skill-building with heart. This year’s event brings together employees from Just Born Quality Confections, Lutron Electronics Company, Northeast Products & Services, and Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. Participants will learn and apply Lean principles as they assemble bicycles for Community Bike Works, supporting local youth just in time for the holiday season.
“Santa’s STANDARD WORKshop continues to grow because it resonates,” said Gene Kaschak, MRC Vice President of Continuous Improvement & Leadership Development Strategy. “Manufacturers learn Lean techniques in a hands-on way while making a real difference for families in our community. It’s the spirit of continuous improvement and the spirit of giving wrapped into one event.”
A Growing Movement Across the Region
Building on last year’s success, the program expanded in 2025 to include a private, on-site Santa’s Workshop at MI Windows and Doors in Hegins, PA, where employees assembled bikes for children. The initiative demonstrates the growing reach and influence of this unique Lean-meets-community model.
With multiple manufacturers now participating, both at MRC and privately, the Santa’s STANDARD WORKshop is evolving into an annual celebration of manufacturing skills, collaboration, and goodwill across MRC’s five Pennsylvania counties.
A Workshop with Purpose
This hands-on learning experience provides participants with practical exposure to:
- Introduction to Lean Manufacturing – Core principles applied directly to the bicycle assembly line.
- Waste Reduction & Process Flow – Using Lean tools to optimize the build!
- TWI Job Instruction – Standardizing work for quality, safety, and efficiency
- Team Building, True North, and Continuous Improvement – Real-time problem-solving on the shop floor
Every bicycle assembled will be donated to Community Bike Works in Allentown, which teaches life lessons through bicycles to the young people of the Lehigh Valley who could benefit most.
Media Invitation
Members of the press are invited to attend the live bike-build portion of the workshop on:
- Wednesday, December 10, 2025
- 2:15 PM
- MRC Training Center, 7200A Windsor Drive, Allentown, PA 18106
This segment provides excellent visuals and interview opportunities with participants, Community Bike Works representatives, and MRC leadership.
About Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC)
The mission of MRC is dedicated to serving Pennsylvania manufacturers in Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton, and Schuylkill counties to enhance their productivity and technological advancements. MRC is part of the NIST MEP Network of national Centers across the USA. MRC is also a member of the Manufacturing PA Initiative, which includes seven Industrial Resource Centers (IRCs) across the Commonwealth that are dedicated to serving the needs of small and medium-sized manufacturers throughout Pennsylvania. NIST MEP Centers like MRC are a hub for manufacturers to connect with government agencies, trade associations, universities and research laboratories, state and federal initiatives, and other resources to help them grow and innovate. For more information about MRC, visit https://www.mrcpa.org
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Contact Information :
Patricia Felise | Media Relations
Manufacturers Resource Center
pat.felise@mrcpa.org | (610) 628-4640