“A Natural Affinity between Lean and Green” is Ed Polin’s topic for a presentation at the AME Kentucky 2009 conference; he emphasizes how applying lean strategies to reduce waste results in consuming fewer materials and less energy.

The AME/APQC Community of Practice (CoP) offers virtual benchmarking opportunities by providing an open forum for practitioner-to-practitioner exchanges by submitting questions to the members of the CoP. In CoP webinars, subject matter experts share best practices. To participate in the AME/APC benchmarking CoP and learn how to search the APQC performance measurement service — the Open Standards Benchmarking Collaborative (OSBC), check www.ame.org and click on “Benchmarking” and then “Community of
Practice” or go to www.apqc.org/ame.

For Bob Granata, Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding’s director of service and support value streams process excellence, participating in regional consortia sharing and learning activities helps to build understanding about better ways to apply lean concepts as well as competitive strength. Through Northrop Grumman, he can attend closer-to home activities sponsored by the Virginia Business Excellence Consortium
(VBEC). And thanks to the hospitality of member companies in the Jacksonville Lean Consortium in Florida, they’ve broadened this learning
process. “We’re on a lean journey, and we wanted to go to more organizations — to learn more lean methodologies,”

The “How Lean and Culture Drive Product Development” AME webinar on July 24 was attended by 14 participants. Attendees learned how product development and your organization’s culture work together so that you can maximize your return on the development process.