I continue to hear examples of AME member companies stepping up to help in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. A-dec, a dental supplier in Oregon, is making PPE for health care workers. Genie, A Terex Brand, has undertaken tremendous efforts in North America and around the world to help support local health care efforts and offer necessary supplies. The list of companies contributing to our health care heroes goes on and on.
It’s also important to keep workers safe in our own organizations, especially if they’ve been deemed essential. We see innovations at grocery stores to keep workers and shoppers healthy while quelling the coronavirus spread. Manufacturers have redesigned their factory floors to provide safe social distancing spaces for employees to work. At Newport News Shipbuilding – my former company – the Sail Loft department has been creating masks to keep their over 23 thousand colleagues throughout the facility safe as they build aircraft carriers and submarines that are essential for the U.S. national defense.
The continuous improvement mindset also helps us protect one another as we adapt to our current realities and adjust our practices. AME continues to offer a variety of ways to keep in touch with fellow practitioners and lean thinkers. Hundreds joined the first webinar of the AME & Lean Frontiers Energize Your Journey webinar series this week. We’ve had steady attendance at our weekly virtual lean coffee breaks and expert-led webinars. But we know there are more people and organizations that would benefit from these free learning experiences. I encourage you to continue participating in our complimentary virtual events and to share information with those who might also benefit: your colleagues, peers and social networks. You can find our entire programming lineup at www.ame.org/events.
We also continue to plan for the 36th annual AME International Conference this fall. If you are interested in presenting – in-person or perhaps virtually – at the world’s largest lean conference, please consider submitting your presentation or workshop idea.
And as always, please stay safe and keep looking out for one another.
