AME Blog

Happy Thanksgiving! Whether you brave the airports on the busiest travel day of the year, host your extended family or spend time with friends for Friendsgiving, I hope you enjoy a lovely holiday full of delicious food, gratitude and love. We usually think of Thanksgiving as “turkey day,” accompanied... More

I am still celebrating the success of the AME Cleveland International Conference. The people and the learning environment were so energizing. As lean leaders, we know that an important and worthy piece of the continuous improvement journey is the celebration. In today’s fast-paced world, we sometimes... More

I am a big fan of Halloween. It brings out the inner child we tuck away most days of the year, allowing us to relive and reinvent precious childhood memories. Halloween also allows us to exercise our scope of creativity. Think about how costumes have evolved over the years. I know many of us can recall... More

I couldn’t be more thrilled to join you in just over a week at AME’s 39th annual conference, AME Cleveland 2023, as we ReImagine Excellence. This year is a little extra spooky (oops – meant special) because day two of the conference falls on Halloween. Luckily, our talented events team has ensured... More

This week, I am thrilled to update our membership on a few exciting changes at AME. We have appointed three new members to our international board of directors. Ellis Jones, Marc Kuzik and Bob Miller will serve as directors-at-large for a two-year term that began October 1, 2023. Jones is an independent... More

You hear me talk a lot about how proud I am that AME has a world-class Champions Club. This is one of the best places for senior leaders, lean influencers and C-suite executives to network for peer-to-peer learning. It is an exclusive group that delivers experiential learning and strategic value to leaders.... More

AME’s AME Cleveland 2023 Conference is less than two months away. With the date fast approaching, I find it difficult to contain my excitement. In one unforgettable week, we will explore world-class keynote speakers, sessions, workshops, tours and networking opportunities. This year’s theme is “Reimagining... More

It is hard to believe that we are a little over nine weeks away from gathering in Cleveland, Ohio for the 39th annual AME International Conference: AME Cleveland 2023. I am so excited to see everyone again. I hope you have registered to attend. If you haven’t, why not? Conferences are a great way to... More

One of our home team members shared that she was ecstatic to see her idol, Taylor Swift, in concert last week, as it was her dream and at the top of her bucket list. How awesome is that! This inspired me to ponder my own bucket list items. You know, those dreams that fuel our passion and thrill us. They... More

"Don't rationalize your way to the land of mediocrity. We cannot be passive – we must act." My friend, Michal Bremer, author of "How to Do a Gemba Walk," shared this phrase with me the other day, and it really resonated both personally and professionally. How many times have we accepted the status... More

The Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) is pleased to announce that Barbara Clayton has joined the AME home team as director of membership and operations. Clayton is an accomplished professional with a wealth of experience spanning more than 18 years. She has made a lasting impact on lean... More

I’m always amazed by the amount of talent and expertise we have in our AME community. It seems every day, I hear about another AME subject matter expert publishing a new book or sharing pearls of wisdom on national and international levels. AME’s work brings together the industry’s brightest thought... More

Either this letter will leave you insatiably curious or it will leave you furious, maybe both. My hope, as always, is that it makes you think. When it comes to new technology, I tend to land on the side of curiosity. A career in continuous improvement has shown me that being frustrated by new technology,... More

Of all the federal holidays we celebrate, Memorial Day is one that is both cheerful and somber. While it marks for many of us the unofficial start of summer, Monday is a day of observance, centered on remembering and thanking the countless Americans in uniform who have given their lives for this country.... More

AME’s Director of Conferences and Events Desiree Dolecki was recently quoted in Industry Magazine in an article titled “The Future is Hybrid-ish” as sharing “there is no one size fits all approach.” The fully integrated hybrid model is not the predominant model—it simply is an ever-revolving... More