A Culture to Lean On

A company’s culture is the foundation to the lean journey.

ACE Metal Crafts is a custom stainless steel fabrication job shop specializing in a high-variety – low volume product mix. ACE has successfully melded lean principles into its culture of empowerment, where employees make the difference. ACE has tripled its strategy team and now shares the financial statement with one-third of its employees. Dramatic lean results include: 60% reduction in cycle times, inventory turns up from 7 to 24 and revenue growth of 80% from 2003. In this dynamic presentation, attendees will see how incorporating lean philosophies in a culture driven by nurturing the value in others, results in a “Winning” combination.

ACE Metal Crafts is a custom job shop specializing in stainless steel fabrication, located in Franklin Park, Illinois. Customer pressure to lower prices, reduce run quantities, and cut lead times challenged ACE to start its lean journey more than three years ago.

ACE runs two shifts and currently has 70 employees. For over forty years, ACE has served the food processing and packaging, pharmaceutical and water treatment markets.

Keith P. Stout, Vice President of Operations

Keith has worked at ACE Metal Crafts for over 16 years, following his father’s footsteps of a 40 year career at ACE.

With a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Keith has been involved in every aspect of company operations from sales and engineering to production management to his current position of Vice President of Operations.

With a leadership style based on teamwork and his experience in sales he was quick to see how lean, a customer focused manufacturing philosophy, would work in ACE’s culture.

Keith has passion for teamwork and the ACE team. He promotes a blame free environment that focuses energy on teaming and beating the competition. “Winning” is a value that describes ACE’s people, customers and production system.

He lives in a western suburb of Chicago with his wife and four young children.