“America Needs Manufacturing”

Paul G. Kuchuris, Jr., President

Chattanooga Regional Manufacturers Association

April 23, 2014

AME Background

Founded in 1985, AME is a 501(c3) (not-for-profit) association supporting the manufacturing sector in the pursuit of excellence through the facilitation of practitioner-to-practitioner learning.

AME operates in the USA, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia.

AME Characteristics

• Strong Deployment Network - 9 active N/American Regions with 4,000 Individual members & 250+ corporate members.

• Events - Over 100 regional events annually plus

Champions Leadership Club, Award program & Target Magazine.

• Conferences - Annual International Conference held in the autumn plus

Periodic Regional conferences.• Powered by - talented & industry experienced 20 member Board, 10

member management team & 200 to 300 volunteers.• Consortia Network - 10 currently active in US plus

20 to 25 projected in the next 3 years.

Today’s Discussion

• Manufacturing challenges.

• What AME is doing to address those challenges.

• What the manufacturing community can do to assist in a revitalization of manufacturing.

Why Manufacturing?

“The Cornerstone of Our Economy”• Manufacturing jobs create a multitude of additional

jobs.• They are better paying stable jobs and provide a

higher standard of living ($77,000 average) .

• Manufacturing is the driver of productivity growth.• It is also a major financial contributor to the

economy.

For every $1.00 spent in manufacturing, another $1.48 is added to the economy, the highest multiplier

effect of any economic sector.

For every $1.00 spent in manufacturing, another $1.48 is added to the economy, the highest multiplier

effect of any economic sector.

Manufacturing Challenges

Manufacturing

Challenges

Manufacturing Challenges

• Operational efficiency– 20% cost burden for U.S. organizations.

– Overseas competition.

– Rapid pace of change (markets, products & services).

• Workforce– Skills gap – Open jobs & no skilled workers.

– Higher skills required in manufacturing.

– High school graduates are below literacy standards.

• Perception - Manufacturing is a low paying, dead-end career.

• Regulation

AME Strategic Direction

AME

Strategic Direction

AME Strategic Direction

VisionA Manufacturing Renaissance driven by People-Centric Leadership coupled with Enterprise Excellence.

MissionTo inspire commitment to Enterprise Excellence through Experiential Learning by bringing people together to Share, Learn and GROW.

AME Directional Pillars

• Enterprise Excellence• People-Centric Leadership.• Innovation.• Manufacturing as a Desirable

Career Path.

Enterprise Excellence“AME’s Focused Actions”

• Regional & national events to share CI best practices.

• Recognize excellence.• Champions Club• A network of local manufacturing consortia to

address continuous improvement issues.• Partner with key organizations to accelerate the

drive to excellence.

People-Centric Leadership“AME’s Focused Actions”

• CEO Summit• People-Centric Leadership Events.• Employee engagement events & workshops.• Holding P-C Leadership conferences.• Expanding the AME awards program.• Focus AME Champions Club on P-C leadership.

Innovation“AME’s Focused Actions”

• Identify innovative organizations & promote their activities.

• Conduct various innovation events & workshops that cultivate an environment of innovation.

• Publish various publications on innovation best practices.

Manufacturing as a Desirable Career Path“AME’s Focused Actions”

• Be a resource for information on skills gap.• Promote & involve students in manufacturing activity

(Adopt-a-School & Scholarship).• Partner with organizations to improve education, student

participation in STEM and literacy education programs.• Promote the hiring of Veterans – Vet-Strong.

Manufacturing Community

Role

Manufacturing Community Role

• Help promote and recognize manufacturing best practices & excellence.

• Support educational improvement initiatives.• Work with communities to foster an

environment receptive to manufacturing.• Promote manufacturing as a viable career.

Community Outreach Activities

• Promote Manufacturing Excellence:– Recognize excellence when it occurs.– Cultivate local manufacturing CI consortia groups.– Communicate with stakeholders & suppliers on what you need

to improve your operational efficiency.– Seek continuous improvement tools, resources & benchmarks.– Partner with local groups to drive manufacturing growth.

Community Outreach Activities – cont.

• Improve Education:– Seek out organizations that are working to improve

education.– Support literacy programs and teacher competency,

processes & outcome expectations.– Reinforce applied learning:

• Relate education to behavior needed in our community and the world of work.

• Tell education what behaviors & skills are needed from students to be productive employees.

Community Outreach Activities – cont.

• Cultivate Community Involvement as Stakeholders:– Identify what’s in it for them.– Respond to manufacturing needs.– Ask them to support manufacturing improvement initiatives.

• Promote Manufacturing as a Viable Career Path:– Support STEM Learning Initiatives.– Sponsor manufacturing field trips.– Invite manufacturing presentations to schools.– Partner with a local manufacturing consortia.

Key Take Away

• America needs a strong growing manufacturing community to drive a robust economy.

• Manufacturing needs the grass roots support to successfully address the on-going, ever changing challenges it faces.

For Further Information

• Visit www.ame.org

• Contact AME Headquarters at:

3701 Algonquin Road, Suite 225

Rolling Meadows, Illinois 60008-3127

Phone: 224.232.8980, Fax: 224.232.5981

info@ame.org

For Further Information

Join the AME LinkedIn group to learn more about manufacturing and to view job postings

Follow AME on Twitter @AMEConnect

Download this presentation on SlideShare at www.slideshare.net/ameconnect