The Search for Manufacturing Excellence

Tour America 98 was hosted by the
Association for Manufacturing Excellence
and facilitated by Scott Olson, past regional president AME

• Lead team of 6 people that facilitated the following 8 plant tours for big AME workshop event of the year.
• Gave executives and experienced staff members an opportunity to see award-winning pockets of excellence
• Involved industry, service and academia
• Concentrated exposure to a number of organizations in a week-long tour of nine world-class companies
• High-level managers networked about new and emerging technologies for their organizations
• ToA98 was a Structured learning experience including executive presentations and extensive plant tours

The "Pockets of Excellence" that we focused on for Tour of America '98 are the following:

1. Driving Manufacturing Improvements (JIT, cells, set-up reductions, etc.)
   • General Dynamics Information Systems, Honeywell CFS
2. Increasing Employee Value
   • Strongwell Chatfield Div., Honeywell CFS, Remmele.
3. Improving Customer Relations (customer focus/satisfaction, market focus)
   • Pemstar, Computype, Honeywell CFS.
4. Enhancing Supply Chain Management
   • Starkey
5. Integrating Information Technology/management (includes Internet)
   • Pemstar, Honeywell HBC, St. Jude Medical

Tour of America '98 Host Companies

COMPANY	POCKETS OF EXCELLENCE	CONTACT
Day 1 September 14, 1998
Pemstar (a.m.)	Rapid Prototyping Customer focused excellence	Karl Shurson VP Quality/Site Operations
Day 2 September 15, 1998
General Dynamics Information Systems (a.m.)	Leadership road mapping Design for '6 Sigma' score carding Manufacturing Supported Intranet	Allen Gate V.P. Manufacturing
Starkey (p.m.)	Project planning and management Supplier Chain Management and Partnerships [Details]	Keith Guggenberger Director of Quality
Day 3 September 16, 1998
Computype (a.m.)	Teaming with customers Innovative financial operating systems [Details]	Richard Huntsinger President
St. Jude Medical (p.m.)	Self-managed work teams Cellular Mfg.	James E. Kwan Plant Manager
Day 4 September 17, 1998
Remmele Engineering, Inc. (a.m.)	Flexible Mfg. Systems Factory Apprenticeship Programs [Details]	Kent Paul General Manager
St. Thomas (p.m.)	Advanced Mfg. Systems	Dr. Fred Zimmerman Dr. James Benson
Day 5 September 18, 1998
Honeywell CFS (a.m.)	Demand Flow Technology Factory to Customer Performance Relationships [Details]	Dennis Madden Director of Operations
Honeywell HBC (p.m.)	Factory Automation Mgmt. - Union Partnership Best Business Practices	Jim Deters V.P. of Manufacturing

ToA98 Co-Chairman: Scott T. Olson    Back to Accomplishments   To AME Home Page