AME Blog

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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