David Parsley is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Technology. Before this role, David was a member of the True Lean team as an Industry Extension Specialist from 2008 to 2021. During this time at the University, he has assisted in the delivery and facilitation of standardization, 8 Step problem solving, and model area development within various manufacturing organizations. He was also part of the team responsible for the facilitation(facilitates) and continuous improvement of the Lean Systems Certification, a core offering of the True Lean Systems Program.

Before joining the True Lean team, he worked in mining/materials equipment manufacturing. During his time there, he assisted in the development of lean model areas within two manufacturing sites. At these sites, he was responsible for developing production layouts to support continuous flow throughout operations. David holds three engineering degrees, a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Masters of Science in Manufacturing Systems Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kentucky.

Research Interests

• Structured Problem Solving
• Lean and Digitalization (Industry 4.0)
• Modeling and Analysis of Manufacturing Systems
• Lean Application in Healthcare
• Lean Production in High Variety/Low Volume Manufacturing
• Challenges to Lean Implementation
• Lean Production Development