AME Milwaukee 2026 International Conference
PRESENTATIONS
Presentation
Embedding a lean culture into a greenfield environment
Part 2: The NTS lean journey continues
OVERVIEW
Embedding lean in a greenfield environment means shaping culture and systems together from day one. This session focuses on building trust through respect for people, integrating safety as the first standard and establishing tiered daily management, visual controls and standard work. Participants will explore how to link shop‑floor improvements to strategy deployment reviews, create governance rhythms and launch 90‑day plans that drive accountability and continuous improvement. By designing behaviors and processes upfront, teams avoid legacy waste and accelerate performance, ensuring the new site operates with clarity, discipline and alignment to lean principles and organizational values.
Key Learning Objectives
1. Culture starts day one: Design behaviors and systems together to avoid legacy waste and misalignment.
2. Safety as the first standard: Make safety rituals and visual risk controls foundational to all processes.
3. Tiered daily management: Implement huddles, SQDC boards and escalation routines to drive accountability.
4. Link to strategy deployment: Connect shop-floor improvements to governance rhythms and monthly reviews.
5. 90-Day launch plan: Use structured milestones for standard work, visual controls and continuous improvement.
2. Safety as the first standard: Make safety rituals and visual risk controls foundational to all processes.
3. Tiered daily management: Implement huddles, SQDC boards and escalation routines to drive accountability.
4. Link to strategy deployment: Connect shop-floor improvements to governance rhythms and monthly reviews.
5. 90-Day launch plan: Use structured milestones for standard work, visual controls and continuous improvement.
Presenter
Thomas Castillo
Continuous Improvement Leader
NUCOR TOWERS & STRUCTURES (NTS)
Thomas Castillo serves as a continuous improvement specialist at NTS (Decatur, AL), reporting to Matt Weiss (NTSHQ). He is a U.S. Army veteran — Captain, Signal Corps — with eight years of service, and earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.
Continuous Improvement Leader
NUCOR TOWERS & STRUCTURES (NTS)
Thomas Castillo serves as a continuous improvement specialist at NTS (Decatur, AL), reporting to Matt Weiss (NTSHQ). He is a U.S. Army veteran — Captain, Signal Corps — with eight years of service, and earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.
Castillo brings 20+ years of leadership in lean transformation, operations and project management, with prior roles at Lam Research, Acuity Brands Lighting, Mueller Company and Sandvine. Trained by Shingijutsu Global Consulting and a repeat presenter at the American Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME), he focuses on practical CI that improves safety, quality, delivery and cost.
At NTS, Castillo has introduced and facilitated 5S, Value Stream Mapping, and Kaizen events across heavy/light ay and hardware areas, advanced quality at the source, and supported galvanizing and scheduling process improvements. Beyond NTSAL, he assists Indiana and Utah sites to standardize work, strengthen accountability and accelerate flow.
View on LinkedIn
At NTS, Castillo has introduced and facilitated 5S, Value Stream Mapping, and Kaizen events across heavy/light ay and hardware areas, advanced quality at the source, and supported galvanizing and scheduling process improvements. Beyond NTSAL, he assists Indiana and Utah sites to standardize work, strengthen accountability and accelerate flow.
View on LinkedIn
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People-centric leadership
Level: Intermediate
