Culture first. Lean tools second.

When performance stalls, most manufacturers double down on process. Salem Metal did the opposite.

Confronted with plateauing revenue, price pressure and rising costs, the company made a bold move. Instead of launching a lean effort with CI tools, they began by tackling culture — putting every employee, from the front office to the shop floor, through a company-wide reset built around “Respect for People.”

Before introducing a single new lean tool, they addressed the real bottleneck: how people think, communicate and solve problems together. What followed was transformational.

In under 12 months, Salem Metal increased output by 21% — without hiring, retooling or redesigning core processes. Firefighting decreased. Employee-led standups became the norm. Silos gave way to cross-functional problem-solving. Decisions got smarter, faster and more inclusive. And a culture of continuous improvement began to take root — organically.

In this session, CEO Jason Vining and COO Tom Lacey will share their journey to cultural transformation, including:

• How they worked through legacy mindsets and “we’re different” excuses
• The educational building blocks that supported individual and organizational capacity
• The learning framework that enabled change at scale, turned skeptics into internal advocates and unlocked frontline leadership

Attendees will walk away with a clear picture of what “Respect for People” and putting people first actually looks like — in practice — from the investment it requires, to the resistance it triggers, to the transformation it makes possible.

Key learning objectives

Attendees will walk away with a clear picture of:

• What “Respect for People” and putting people first actually looks like — in practice
• The educational building blocks that support individual and organizational capacity
• The learning framework that enabled change at scale
• The investment culture change requires, the resistance it triggers and the transformation it makes possible.

Company

For over five decades, Salem Metal has built a trusted legacy as a family-owned, full-service job shop serving a wide spectrum of industries. With deep expertise in fabricating panels, brackets, enclosures and sub-assemblies, Salem Metal combines craftsmanship with cutting-edge capabilities. Its state-of-the-art facility is fully equipped for precision sheet metal fabrication, advanced CNC machining and spray painting. Backed by seasoned engineering and design support, the company delivers high-quality, end-to-end manufacturing solutions tailored to its customers’ requirements. https://www.salemmetal.com/

Presenters

Thomas Lacey started his career as an engineer in the aerospace industry. Over the last 20 years, he has held senior leadership positions managing plants, manufacturing operations and business units in a variety of manufacturing industries, including consumer and industrial goods, wire and cable, and medical devices. He has also served as owner and president of a staffing agency and became a lean facilitator and champion with the organizations he has served, including volunteering on a regional board of directors to further develop and share best practices and concepts to individuals and organizations alike. Lacey's current role as COO at Salem Metal, Inc. combines his love of manufacturing and use of business skills with culture change and critical elements of lean to enable others around him to achieve their goals while contributing to a thriving and engaging workplace environment. 

Jason Vining's tenure at Salem Metal began on the production floor while still in high school, gaining early exposure to the company’s operations and technology. He continued through college, building a solid foundation in manufacturing processes and equipment.

As president, Vining leads the company’s long-term strategy, drives operational excellence and ensures Salem Metal remains competitive and customer-focused in a dynamic manufacturing landscape. His leadership is defined by a commitment to continuous improvement, innovation and sustainable growth.