5Third Quarter 2002

The theme of AME's2002 Annual Confer-ence in Chicago thisNovember 4-8 is "TheCrossroads of Excel-lence." The crossroadsidea works on severallevels …

Chicago is a hub ofindustry where supplychains intersect and an

enormous variety of commodities, bothgoods and services, are available. It's also acenter of transportation—rail, water, andhighway — that boasts one of the world'sbusiest airports. Our economy, NorthAmerica's, and of the rest of the world, is ata crossroads as well—a hectic, confusing,and often troubling crossroads. Wholeindustries are emerging, fragmenting,restructuring, outsourcing, migrating, andeven dissolving at a dizzying pace. Issues ofglobal competitiveness reach into even thesmallest community and enterprise.

Running businesses has never been easy.Today, we all need all the help we can get tocatch up, keep up, get ahead, and find thenext path. This year's conference is plannedas a crossroads of ideas and learning wherephilosophies, strategies, tools, and experi-ences converge to offer participants a richchoice of learning opportunities that can betailored to fit the needs of individuals andorganizations from across the globe.

AME is at a crossroads too. Like manyother business and educational organiza-tions, we're looking for opportunities to takeadvantage of the expertise and resources ofothers to put together the best possibleofferings and reach broader markets. To thisend, Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI), led byJim Womack, is formally collaborating withAME on this year's conference and providingmuch of the Lean program content. We'reconvinced that collaborations like this canstrengthen AME's offerings and enhancethe learning opportunities we offer to all ofour members.

At the Crossroads

Message from the Conference Marketing Chair

We've built five Roads to Excellence:Lean Thinking and Doing; Supply ChainExcellence; Knowledge Sharing, Learning &Management; Leadership at the Crossroads;and People: The Most Important Element.The possibilities are endless. You can travelone road or walk them all. Everywhere yougo you'll hear from the best …

Hear five outstanding keynote addressesby thought and business leaders, and choosefrom over two dozen best practice presenta-tions by doers who've implemented leading-edge ideas in real businesses.

We've also assembled a broad spectrumof "how to" workshops that range fromintroductory to advanced levels, presentedby experienced practitioners and leadingeducators. Roll up your sleeves and learn thelatest techniques for improving your business.

And don't forget AME's most ambitioustour program yet — 20+ outstanding compa-nies have agreed to open their doors to us,so that you can see what they're doing andtalk to the people who are doing it.

Finally, our annual conference offers anunmatched opportunity to network andshare ideas and experiences with practition-ers from across the globe and to keep thelearning process going long after the confer-ence ends.

Sure, it's hard to find the time to tearyourself or your colleagues away from thecrush of business, but if your business needsa competitive edge, you can't afford to missthis year's conference. Sign up now, we'reexpecting a record attendance and choiceworkshops and tours will fill up soon.

See you in Chicago!

Anthony C. Laraia AME Annual ConferenceMarketing Chair

“The AME Conference hostsvery knowledgeable, influ-ential keynote speakersand the breakout sessionsoffer good insight for proj-ect planning and visiondevelopment.”

Kevin Hendrick Operations ManagerMidmark Corporation

“The AME annual confer-ence is a unique experi-ence where you can see andhear practitioners sharingbest practical experienceand the lessons learnedalong their journey. Theplant tours and experiencesharing are invaluablealong with the networkingwith peer leaders. In rawperformance, you see whatworks, warts and all. If youcannot walk away with alist of actions to improveyour company’s perform-ance, you haven’t beenpaying attention”

Ken RolfesSenior Vice PresidentGlobal Operationsdj Orthopedics, LLC