Lean and Customer Focused

"He headed a company in a different industry, but the core processes still applied," Frank says. "My team and I visited his factory and some of his people came here to help train all of us. It was a real special kind of exchange."

Initially skeptical, Admiral's employees soon realized "lean" wasn't a threat or top-down mandate. Moreover, it showed that management listened to what they had to say. For example, as they looked at how work was processed and moved through the plant, it was obvious that several departments were in the wrong locations, wasting time and adding inefficiency. Entire departments were relocated to move the various steps in the production process closer together to streamline operations.