Association for Manufacturing Excellence

Association for Manufacturing Excellence
Name	Association for Manufacturing Excellence
Abbreviation	AME
Formation	1985
Type	Nonprofit
Headquarters	Ann Arbor, Michigan
Region served	United States, Canada, International

Association for Manufacturing Excellence

The Association for Manufacturing Excellence is a nonprofit organization focused on Lean manufacturing practices, continuous improvement, and operational excellence in manufacturing and service industries. Founded in the mid-1980s amid concerns over global competition, the organization connects practitioners from corporations such as Toyota Motor Corporation, General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Siemens, Boeing, and Procter & Gamble with thought leaders from institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, Stanford University, and University of Michigan to share case studies and best practices. It publishes proceedings, hosts events, and recognizes achievements through awards that have featured speakers associated with Kaizen Institute, Shingo Prize, Lean Enterprise Institute, American Society for Quality, and Society of Manufacturing Engineers.

History

AME emerged during a period marked by shifts initiated by events such as the 1973 oil crisis, the rise of Nissan Motor Company and Honda Motor Co., Ltd. in North American markets, and analyses from reports like those by Porter (economist)-related competition studies and Prahalad-era strategy debates. Early founders included executives and consultants who previously worked at firms like Factoria, Fujitsu, and Motorola, and who were influenced by methodologies from Taiichi Ohno, Shigeo Shingo, W. Edwards Deming, and James P. Womack. The organization expanded through the 1990s alongside the popularization of Six Sigma championed by Jack Welch at General Electric, and it adapted to globalization trends as seen in agreements like the North American Free Trade Agreement era and the enlargement of World Trade Organization membership.

Mission and Objectives

AME's stated mission centers on spreading lean, kaizen, and value stream mapping practices to improve competitiveness for members representing companies such as 3M, Dow Chemical Company, Intel, Lockheed Martin, and Caterpillar Inc.. Objectives include facilitating peer-to-peer learning among practitioners from Toyota Production System-influenced firms, advancing professional development akin to curricula at Kellogg School of Management and Harvard Business School, and promoting evidence-based improvement similar to standards advocated by International Organization for Standardization. The organization aligns with professional norms from entities like Institute for Operational Excellence and collaborates with academic centers such as Lean Institute programs at Columbia University.

Programs and Services

AME offers benchmarking visits modeled on the exchange programs seen between Nissan and General Motors, training workshops comparable to offerings by Lean Enterprise Institute and consulting firms such as McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, and Bain & Company. Services include roundtables, executive coaching influenced by practices at GE Capital, peer-to-peer learning networks reminiscent of APQC comparative studies, and publication of case studies similar to Harvard Business Review articles. The organization curates content related to tools from Kanban practice, 5S methodology, Total Productive Maintenance inspired by Eiji Toyoda-era practices, and integration with digital systems promoted by Siemens PLM and Rockwell Automation.

Conferences and Events

AME hosts annual conferences and regional best-practice workshops that attract delegates from corporations such as Amazon (company), Apple Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, and Pfizer. Events feature keynote presenters with affiliations to Lean Startup proponents, veterans of Toyota, scholars from Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lean Advancement Initiative, and authors associated with The Machine That Changed the World and The Toyota Way. The format often mirrors executive learning venues like Darden School of Business programs and includes plant tours comparable to those arranged by Society of Manufacturing Engineers and Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers.

Membership and Organization

Membership comprises practitioners, executives, consultants, and academics from multinational firms such as Microsoft, IBM, Hitachi, ABB, and Schneider Electric, as well as smaller manufacturers akin to those profiled in IndustryWeek. The governance structure parallels nonprofit boards like those at National Association of Manufacturers and includes committees for education, events, and awards similar to American Management Association task forces. Regional chapters coordinate local activities comparable to chapters of Project Management Institute and professional development offerings echoing ASME and IEEE continuing education.

Awards and Recognition

AME administers awards that honor excellence in lean implementation, often compared in prestige to the Shingo Prize and accolades from National Institute of Standards and Technology Baldrige-related recognition. Past recipients include teams from Toyota, Danaher Corporation, Kimberly-Clark, 3M, and innovative plants featured alongside winners of European Foundation for Quality Management awards. Awards criteria emphasize measurable results, cultural change, and sustainability of improvements, reflecting assessment approaches used by ISO certification bodies and performance metrics popularized by Balanced scorecard advocates tied to Harvard Business School research.

Impact and Criticism

AME has been credited with disseminating lean practices that influenced productivity improvements in firms cited by Bureau of Labor Statistics studies and in regional manufacturing clusters referenced by Economic Development Administration reports. Critics argue that lean dissemination can underemphasize labor relations issues spotlighted in case studies involving unions such as United Auto Workers and debates featured in publications like The Atlantic, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Scholar critiques drawing on work from Harvard Business School and MIT have questioned one-size-fits-all adoption, urging integration with digital transformation frameworks championed by Industrial Internet Consortium and Industry 4.0 initiatives from World Economic Forum discussions.

Category:Manufacturing organizations