ASSOCIATION FOR MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE DONATES FUNDS TO CREATE CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE IN LOUISIANA
$50,000 in funds come from AME’s Katrina Fund; State to match
New Orleans, Louisiana, October 3, 2007 – The Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME), a not-for-profit association dedicated to the sharing of information to help companies stay competitive in a global marketplace, has donated $50,000 to help fund the creation of a Center of Excellence for Lean Initiatives. The center will be based at the Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Louisiana (MEPOL) at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. The Center will create a place where companies from the impacted areas of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita can learn about ways to use Lean tools to help them get back up running, become more successful, and provide employment opportunities in these devastated communities.
“American manufacturers face huge challenges competing in a global marketplace and Lean manufacturing is the only answer to win the fight,” says Ralph Keller, president of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence. “The Center of Excellence for Lean Initiatives will be the only center of its type in the country where manufacturers can about Lean principles from other manufacturers.”
The funding for the AME donation comes from the group’s Katrina Fund that was built using a portion of the admission fee from AME’s 2006 National Conference in Dallas. Keller says the center will be of great benefit to manufacturing companies in Louisiana looking to recover from the damage inflicted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.
“The Center of Excellence strikes at the core of what AME is all about. Not only will it provide assistance to help those companies affected by Katrina, but will plant the seed of future success on a global scale,” says Keith Syberg, Chairman of AME. “My hope is that this center will help companies in the South, and throughout America, lean how to lead their industries through the adaptation of Lean.”
In addition to AME’s donation, the Louisiana State Department of Economic Development is matching the grant 100% to help get the project off the ground.
The check presentation ceremony for the center took place today at the University of New Orleans, where a group of executives from the hurricane areas were being taught the principles of lean.
About AME
The Association for Manufacturing Excellence is a not-for-profit association of over 5,000 members dedicated to the sharing of knowledge on leading-edge topics that help companies stay competitive in a global marketplace. AME cultivates understanding, helps members analyze and exchange ideas on productivity methods, and teaches how these methods can be successfully applied in the pursuit of excellence.
Since its founding in 1985, the Association for Manufacturing Excellence has expanded its focus beyond manufacturing to many functional areas of the enterprise and into many industries, all of which benefit from advanced management techniques. AME is practitioner-based, and its events and workshops focus on hands-on learning and knowledge exchange among peers. For more information visit www.ame.org or email info@ame.org.
