AME Blog

AME Blog
"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
AME Blog
Family has been on my mind a lot lately. Many of you know that a year ago, on July 21, my twin sister, Kathi, passed away unexpectedly. With the anniversary of this event, it feels important to remember how lucky we are to have our friends and loved ones in our lives. Despite how incredibly difficult... More
AME Blog
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
AME Blog
Summer always provides additional opportunities to enjoy a delightful book, peruse magazine articles or google topics of interest. Whether relaxing at the beach, outside, or on a plane, we craft a little extra downtime to read under the sun. This week, I read an interesting article about attracting and... More
AME Blog
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
AME Blog
You’ve never seen a fireworks display like what you’ll see at a U.S. military base. As a child growing up in a military family, we moved quite often. But no matter where we moved, the fireworks remained constant and always magnificent. Every Fourth of July, I find my memories drifting around the... More
AME Blog
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
AME Blog
I read an incredible article this week in which Gary Hoover, the executive director at the American Business History Center, debunks ten myths surrounding negative perceptions surrounding “profit” in businesses. Thank you to AME St. Louis Consortium facilitator Jonathan Jones for sharing this one!... More
AME Blog
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 Blog
This week, I spent some time with the Littelfuse team and our AME Champions Club in Mexico. Littelfuse is a global manufacturer of leading technologies in circuit protection, power control and sensing. You might recall that its passenger car product manufacturing operations in Piedras Negras, Mexico,... More
AME Blog
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
AME Blog
Many of you have read, engaged with and shared your #whyAME stories. It is exciting and humbling to hear how AME has touched all of us personally and professionally. At this organization’s core are the people—members, contributors, supporters and friends. Our volunteers, in particular, make AME unique.... More
AME Blog
The other day, I heard something that challenged me, and my initial reaction was to ignore it. You know what they say about choosing battles. Then someone shared this phrase in a meeting later that day completely unrelated to what I had observed earlier: “The standard you walk past is the standard... More
AME Blog
People are always telling us to slow down, practice self-care and take time for ourselves. Yet at the same time, we’re encouraged to work harder, engage longer and consume more. So, which is it? I received a newsletter from a friend this week entitled “Crazy busy,” and it resonated with me. In... More
AME Blog
I can’t tell you how often I use the phrase, “We are like the shoemaker with the bad shoes.” It’s easy to tell people how to do things or how things should be. It’s much harder to live the change you want to see, though it shouldn’t be. How many times have we talked about having standard... More
AME Blog
I know Valentine’s Day, with its trademark heart-shaped chocolates and bright red roses, is traditionally reserved for romance. I’d like to reframe the narrative. What if we all took the time to show a little extra love to those other people in our life—our coworkers, suppliers, customers, friends... More
AME Blog
In one of my recent letters, I stressed the importance of goal setting. I have to remind myself at times: If I don’t set a goal, how will I know if I accomplish what we need? Without a goal, how can I celebrate when we meet objectives along the way? When we set milestones for ourselves, we enjoy the... More
AME Blog
It was a sunny afternoon in May of 2020, and I was running a staff meeting on Zoom with my team. I had just become CEO in January, and all of my plans were scrambled. Between the pandemic, supply chain breakdowns and preparing to move our largest in-person event to an all-new virtual format, it seemed... More
AME Blog
Many years ago, I worked for an individual who liked to say, “Hope is not a plan." If anyone, including me, said they “hoped (fill in the blank)," he would remind us of this. For years this has stuck with me. It's sage advice. But if my career has taught me anything, it's this: While hope may not... More
AME Blog
January is a time when we usually cycle between feeling invigorated, hopeful and a little bit downtrodden. There’s pressure to ride the momentum of the new year by immediately putting our resolutions into practice. All the while, wintry weather and short days tend to make running out of steam a common... More
AME Blog
Happy New Year! I hope your winter holiday, no matter how you chose to celebrate, was peaceful and afforded you rest, rejuvenation and time with those you love. My heart goes out to those impacted by the severe winter weather that blew through the U.S. over the past several weeks. Our thoughts are with... More
AME Blog
For lean professionals, nothing is ever stagnant. Standard, yes, but never stagnant. We are always looking for better, faster, more efficient processes—or, in the case of the last several years, adapting in response to crises. As we rapidly approach the end of 2022 and start to look forward to 2023,... More
AME Blog
There are so many reasons why this is my favorite time of year; one of them is because it’s in this season of giving when we learn what is most important to people. We are all passionate about something. Whether because you, a friend or a family member were impacted by that something personally or... More
AME Blog
October was an exciting month for AME. In addition to reconnecting at AME Dallas 2022, we welcomed our 2022-2023 AME Board of Directors and Executive Committee. I’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Marc Braun for his service as he steps down from the role of AME Chair. He and Past Chair Wayne... More
AME Blog
Today we recognize Veterans Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day in Canada. As we take time to thank those who have and continue to serve, I want to spotlight the significant role that veterans play in the AME community specifically. In every industry represented by AME members, you will find veterans... More
AME Blog
We have been practicing agility and flexibility forever. However, recent events mandated quicker responses than many of us have experienced in our careers or, frankly, were prepared for. I know I certainly was not. Change can be proactive or reactive. When we practice agility and flexibility proactively,... More
AME Blog
It is less than two weeks until we Embrace Disruption at AME Dallas 2022. I expect this conference to be transformative. We are, after all, coming together in a world transformed. The disruption we experienced over the last two years has created unique and unexpected opportunities. Who planned three... More
AME Blog
We are all familiar with the phrase “what goes up must come down.” Well, an interesting phenomenon is developing within the U.S. workforce, suggesting that those who exit might soon return…only this time on their terms. As workers experiment with “quietly quitting” in the post-pandemic labor... More
AME Blog
As our industries change and grow, topics like supply chain and lead times are becoming household terms. In the past two years alone, people quickly learned how integral industry is to their everyday life. It was a challenge, but we collaborated and adapted, embraced change, and listened to best practices... More
AME Blog
Last week I wrote about resilience and the incredible fortitude found within the supply chain and manufacturing industries. This adaptability, however, is only part of what makes AME and its partner organizations industry leaders and innovators. Our members are constantly pioneering new ways of thinking,... More
AME Blog
The theme of AME's 38th annual international conference, Embrace Disruption, could not be more timely. Many of us feel, myself included, that the last few years have been a never-ending stream of disruptions—particularly in the supply chain and workforce. AME Dallas 2022 presenters will share how leading... More
AME Blog
As the Industrial Revolution peaked in the U.S. at the end of the nineteenth century, workers’ rights were considerably undervalued and overlooked. Across the country, marches, protests and eventually the infamous Pullman Strike rocketed labor abuses to the top of the national agenda. After more than... More

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