AME Blog

  On this International Women’s Day, I want to call attention to the role women play in our community. Many of us have influential women in your lives. These could be women with a formal leadership position, a mentor, a peer or even someone you heard at a past AME event or conference. I am fortunate... More

  Ideas and people need a champion. For an idea, the champion advocates and evangelizes while building an alliance to support the idea’s adoption. For people, the champion empowers, mentors and sponsors individuals to accomplish more. Both roles for a champion are important. A champion needs vision... More

    You might have heard the phrase “Teamwork makes the dream work.” It’s corny, for sure, but that doesn’t make it any less accurate. Coming on the heels of last weekend’s Super Bowl, the idea of teamwork is fresh in my mind. When you watch a team come together to accomplish a goal, you’ll... More

  According to Punxsutawney Phil, we’re due for six more weeks of winter. For those of you who have been hard hit by recent winter storms, it doesn’t take a groundhog to look out the window and wonder if a prediction of only six more weeks of winter is too optimistic! While the Groundhog Day tradition... More

  This past Wednesday marked my one-year anniversary as AME’s president and CEO. Since assuming this role, AME has accomplished so much, as have our members and the entire community of lean, continuous improvement practitioners. I am proud of our community’s collective efforts to pivot and adapt... More

  Happy New Year! Through a quick and unscientific Google search, I just learned that New Year’s resolutions date back 4,000 years to ancient Babylon — at least that’s what articles from Fast Company, History.com, Mental Floss and even Teen Vogue would have me believe. As lean, continuous improvement... More

  If you’ve been in a Zoom meeting with me during the past few months, you may have seen an unexpected visitor on the screen. I’m currently fostering a cat that is very curious anytime she hears voices coming out of my computer. There’s a running joke among the AME staff that my home may transition... More

  AME is made up of people who are dedicated to enterprise excellence. Members, volunteers and staff all seeking best practices to implement lean and continuous improvement. This pursuit of operational excellence inspires us and keeps us driving toward agile solutions, tools and processes that help... More

  On Wednesday in the United States and Canada we recognized military veterans and those who continue to serve. While Veterans Day and Remembrance Day are opportunities to thank veterans for our freedoms, it is incumbent on industry to provide veterans with the opportunities to use their skills in the... More

  Today, I want to talk about the importance of gratitude and celebrating. Regardless of your role in your organization, your family or your community, it is important to take a moment to thank those who make your successes possible. Let people know what sort of impact they have on you and your organizations.... More

  Big projects can feel overwhelming at times, but when you have a team with which you can brainstorm, troubleshoot, and share the load, it helps you power through and get the job done. Right now, there is a dedicated team of volunteers and staff working long hours behind the scenes to put the finishing... More

  The Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) announced today that it has appointed five new members to its board of directors. Brian Fields, Robert Martichenko, Gregg Miner, Ellen Sieminski and Billy Taylor will serve as directors-at-large for a two-year term that began October 1, 2020. They... More

  Believe it or not, this Sunday marks one month before the 36th annual AME International Conference. I often mention AME events and programs in my weekly messages, but I try my best not to be overtly promotional. As a reader, I hope that you come away from each email with a valuable nugget or insight,... More

The leaves are still on the trees outside my office window, but I can tell we’re close to the changing colors and the beauty of autumn. The signs of fall are all there: schools are back in session, football has started and the AME International Conference is on the horizon. While you might not initially... More

  Taylor and Harrison-Chambers join to lead AME's Inclusion, Equity & Diversity Programs The Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) is excited to announce the appointment of Billy Taylor to our Management Team as global head of inclusion, equity and diversity (IE&D), effective September... More