AME believes that operational excellence is more than a goal - it is a journey of continuous improvement, leadership development, employee engagement, and organizational transformation.
One of the most powerful ways we recognize and share these achievements is through the AME Excellence Award Program. This program recognizes organizations that have demonstrated commitment to enterprise excellence and continuous improvement. Past recipients include industry leaders like Flex, Kass Tailored, FGF Brands, Teijin Automotive, Littelfuse, Goodyear, AgCo, Power Blanket, OC Tanner, Miller Coors, Bombardier, and Stihl, among others.
The AME Excellence Award criteria, utilizing the AME Lean Sensei®, provides a comprehensive lean systems model for enterprise excellence. Through a structured assessment process, organizations gain valuable insights into their strengths, opportunities, and overall maturity in their continuous improvement journey.
The primary focus of the site visit is to support and acknowledge continuous improvement efforts, best practices, creativity, and innovation. The feedback report provided by the assessors has repeatedly demonstrated its value in helping organizations "get better at getting better." The award process also supports AME's mission of inspiring commitment to enterprise excellence by identifying and sharing "Pearls of Excellence" - successful practices, innovative approaches, and continuous improvement breakthroughs that can benefit the entire AME community.
As one recent recipient shared:
"Having the AME assessors visit our site was the best learning experience our team has ever had. Their exceptional knowledge and the thoughtful way they asked questions made the process incredibly impactful. They've given us invaluable input and the opportunity to approach our journey with fresh perspective and renewed energy." — 2023 AME Excellence Award Recipient
There is a saying: "You don't know what you don't know." Many organizations begin the assessment process believing they have a clear understanding of their strengths and opportunities. Yet time and again, feedback from experienced assessors reveals new perspectives, uncovers blind spots, and identifies opportunities that may otherwise go unnoticed. This outside perspective often becomes one of the most valuable outcomes of the entire process.
Organizations that participate consistently report significant benefits, including:
- Stronger employee engagement and ownership
- Improved operational performance and customer satisfaction
- Enhanced leadership development and succession planning
- Greater alignment between strategy and execution
- Increased competitiveness in a rapidly changing global marketplace
Perhaps most importantly, the award program creates opportunities for sharing, learning and growing. Award recipients open their doors to fellow manufacturers, healthcare organizations, and service enterprises, allowing the broader AME community to learn from proven practices and accelerate their own improvement journeys.
As industries face workforce challenges, supply chain disruptions, technological change, and increasing customer expectations, the need for operational excellence has never been greater. The AME Excellence Award provides a framework for organizations to build resilient cultures, develop capable leaders, and achieve sustainable results.
Every organization, from Manufacturing to Healthcare to Nonprofits to Government and Communities, can benefit from participating in the assessment process. Whether your goal is to benchmark your progress, validate your current assessment systems, strengthen your culture, identify improvement opportunities, or pursue formal recognition, the journey itself delivers tremendous value.
We encourage you to explore the AME Excellence Award Program and consider how it can support your organization's continuous improvement efforts. If interested email info@ame.org. You can also learn more in Milwaukee in October for the AME International Conference. Register here
As always, please stay safe and keep looking out for one another.
