Related Posts

• LEAN Leadership Is Unconventional

  As a leader, I have been on a LEAN journey for a number of years. But it was only within the last 12 months that I have been exposed to the concept of LEAN accounting. As my interaction with other LEAN leaders has intensified, I have started to ask the question, “Are you doing anything with LEAN in your accounting area?” And, almost without exception, the answer is “no,” or “not yet.” However, this isn’t surprising, as had you asked me the same question just 6 months ago, the answer would have been identical. My role at Cambridge is unique in that, as COO and CFO, I have a leadership role in both operations and finance. In the world of LEAN, the operations folks are generally the most rapid implementers. This has been true in our case, and most of my LEAN learning has been on the operations side of the business. However, once I was exposed to LEAN accounting, it became clear to me that, absent considerable leadership changes on my part, I was going to quickly become a ...

• LEAN Sales Cycle - What are you doing to apply LEAN principles to your sales process?

  Our Senior Leadership team recently returned from Japan where they were on an educational journey to bring back ideas from Japanese businesses that had been working on LEAN initiatives for many decades. Their trip included a visit to Lexus, the luxury car maker and part of the Toyota family of brands. As they were departing for their trip I asked that they solicit feedback from the Japanese companies regarding LEAN and its applications to sales organizations. One might describe the Sales Cycle as the time it takes to obtain an interested prospect through a customer purchase order and finally through the ongoing post-purchase customer engagement. If you look at the Sales Cycle in 3 stages, you may find it easier to look for waste in the sales process. Waste will reveal itself in time, motion, over processing and/or wasted human potential of associates. The Sales Cycle -3 Stages: Pre-Sale Activity / Direct Selling Activity / Post Sale Engagement Pre-Sale Activity Building interest with prospects takes research, dedication, focus, creativity and a concise definition of value for one’s target audience. Marketing and Sales ...

• Growing, Engaging People Every Day In Lean

  Reprinted with permission from the Winter 2017 issue of Target, an AME Publication. Authored by Lea Tonkin Cambridge Engineering employees are growing even faster than the company Inspiring stories about lean and enterprise-wide transformation can sometimes seem too good to be true. This is the feeling Marc Braun, president of Cambridge Engineering, Inc. in Chesterfield, Missouri has about the company’s cultural transformation during the past several years. “It is incredibly humbling to walk into the plant and see how our people are growing and how much joy lean has brought into their lives,” Braun said. “You wouldn’t believe it unless you experienced it for yourself.” The family-owned heating and ventilation system manufacturing company is known for high-quality products and a strong family culture. What’s happening now, through lean, is different. John Kramer, Jr., chairman and CEO, shared, “People know me as a being a big dreamer, but the impact our people at Cambridge are making in others’ lives exceeds my wildest dreams. I believe the journey we are on is one that will ultimately restore glory and dignity to manufacturing ...

• Retrofit Old Inefficient Heating Equipment with Cambridge HTHV Technology

  As an HVAC contractor who services commercial and industrial accounts you know that one of the biggest complaints that you hear from your clients is the high cost to heat their facility. You know this is especially difficult when they are still using old inefficient heating equipment. As a manufacturer of high efficiency industrial heating equipment we thought we would share a video with you about our ability to help you reduce your clients energy bills using Cambridge equipment. In this video Marc Braun describes the three most common heating solutions (Unit Heaters, Boilers & Air Rotation units) that are a prime target for replacing with a Cambridge High Temperature Heating and Ventilation (HTHV) solution.  If you interested in learning more about retrofit opportunities using Cambridge HTHV equipment visit our website at www.cambridge-eng.com to contact us.

• Growth Starts With Humility

  Our organization has embarked on an employee engagement path that has literally caught fire throughout the company. Several Cambridge Engineering, Inc. production managers embraced the LEAN philosophy espoused by Paul Akers in his book, 2 Second Lean: How to grow people and build a lean culture. Our production team’s focus from the beginning has been on training people how to think differently. Many sophisticated books have been written on the LEAN topic. Paul’s book is not one of them. Paul details a path towards employee engagement that everyone can understand. As leader of the sales team, I have watched the trans-formative power of a LEAN mindset with our Ops team and have been inspired to apply this thinking to my life. While our operations team has a head start in embracing these teachings and this thinking, there is a powerful message at the very beginning of the book that applies to all leaders that are considering the necessary strategies and tactics to grow their business, grow their market share, increase pipelines, improve closing ratios or improve processes and flow ...
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  Empowering Growth: Cambridge's Experience in the AME Emerging Leaders Program

  Navigating the dynamic landscape of professional development can be a daunting task, with the search for programs that genuinely transform individuals and organizations presenting a formidable challenge. Amid this, Cambridge's participation in the Association for Manufacturing Excellence's (AME) Emerging Leaders program has shined as a beacon of success.  This year-long commitment immerses participants in a comprehensive experience centered around professional development, networking, and leadership opportunities. During a recent interview, Becca Jenkins, Technical Training Project Manager and key player at Cambridge, shed light on the nuances of the program. "The program opens your eyes to opportunities beyond learning; it's about applying knowledge to solve real-world problems."  So, what sets this program apart? It's not just a series of meetings and training sessions; it's a transformative journey. Each participating group is tasked with addressing a problem and contributing tangible solutions to enhance AME. The culmination involves implementing these solutions, marking the participants' transition into volunteer and leadership roles within the organization. Becca’s group designed and implemented a program called STARTING PEOPLE OFF RIGHT WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO UNITE TALENT (S.P.R.O.U.T.), an initiative aimed at giving ...