Dan Ariens inducted into AME Hall of Fame
Dan Ariens, president and CEO of Ariens Company, was inducted into the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) Hall of Fame at an awards ceremony on Oct. 16. The ceremony was held in conjunction with the organization’s annual conference in Chicago. Dan Ariens also delivered a keynote address at the event.
Previous AME Hall of Fame inductees include Fujio Cho, chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation; and Jim Womak, author, founder and chairman of the Lean Enterprise Institute. The AME Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who embody the organization’s values and have made extraordinary contributions to the achievement of AME’s mission: to inspire commitment to enterprise excellence through shared learning and access to best practices, according to the organization.
“The energy, excitement and potential of U.S. manufacturing still exists for the many people who work diligently every day to reinvent this sector of the economy,” said Dan Ariens. “There is no limit to what the manufacturing sector can achieve when teams of people focus on eliminating waste, pursue perfection, and commit to never-ending continuous improvement in all that we do. I’m honored to accept this prestigious award on behalf of all the Ariens associates who do the real work to make our continuous improvement journey one to be recognized.”
A strong proponent of Lean manufacturing principles, Dan Ariens has created a culture of continuous improvement at Ariens Company that has resulted in the creation of world-class manufacturing facilities by Lean standards. He is often tapped as a mentor by organizations interested in learning best practices in Lean management principles and is a frequent speaker on the topic of Lean leadership. Dan Ariens has also been recognized with the Eli Whitney Productivity Award from SME, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (2007); Quality Leadership 100 from Quality Magazine (2010); and as one of the “Most Influential People in the Green Industry” by Green Media, publisher of Outdoor Power Equipment magazine (2011).
