SME Introduces New Lean Certification at AME Annual Meeting

DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 31, 2005 -- The announcement of a new Lean Certification driven by the collective experience and intellectual capital of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME), and The Shingo Prize is being made at AME's "Leading the Revolution" - 2005 Annual Conference being held October 31 - November 4, at Westin Copley Place Hotel, 10 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Mass. The new Lean Certification will set an international standard for aligning Lean practices. The AME annual event complements the announcement by bringing together thousands of Lean practitioners to discuss new ideas.

This is the only true professional Lean Certification on the market that is based on a public body of knowledge and not tied to any training program. It has been developed by Lean practitioners across industries who have chosen a Lean career path. They have created a standard based on their knowledge and experience. The program is being managed by SME, a non-profit organization whose core purpose is to advance manufacturing knowledge.

The benefits of Lean Certification will impact all levels of industry. Large and mid-sized manufacturers, for instance, will appreciate having acquired Lean Certification as they embark on their Lean initiatives -- including setting programs for staff development and using certification as a milestone of achievement. They will also be able to use Lean Certification to support supplier development initiatives -- and potentially help align entire industries to a common Lean standard.

For those not familiar with the Lean philosophy, it is a comprehensive approach to eliminate waste and increase customer value in business processes through continuous examinations. All facets of an organization's operations may be evaluated for improvement. Lean practitioners create countermeasures in order to eliminate waste, improve productivity, and increase customer value.

The new Lean Certification will provide manufacturing professionals with credentials illustrating their knowledge and application of Lean principles. During the conference, candidates will be able to submit applications and begin their portfolio and mentoring processes. The exam portion of the program is scheduled for launch in March 2006 with the first certification exams being offered in Los Angeles during SME's Total Manufacturing Experience.

There are three levels of Lean Certification and one Industry Knowledge Certificate. The Knowledge Certificate is an exam-only option that measures knowledge of the basic principles of Lean. The first level of certification is Bronze, recognizing tactical knowledge of Lean focused on localized deployment and application of Lean principles, concepts and methods. The second certification is Silver, focusing on the integration of technical Lean activities with organizational restructuring necessary for transformation and the sustainable Lean operation of a complete Value Stream. The highest level of Lean Certification is Gold, which represents the complete Lean transformation of a business organization.

Industry leaders involved in SME's Technical Community Network, specifically the Product and Process Design Management Community, along with SME's Certification Oversight and Appeals Committee, were instrumental in the initiation, discussion and development of the collaborative process for the new Lean Certification.

Additional Information:

For additional information on the new industry standard for Lean Certification, contact Kris Beauchamp at (313) 425-3122 or send an e-mail to training@sme.org and type "Lean Certification" in the subject line. Visit http://www.sme.org/leancert

About SME:

The Society of Manufacturing Engineers is the world's leading professional society supporting manufacturing education. Through its member programs, publications, expositions and professional development resources, SME promotes an increased awareness of manufacturing engineering and helps keep manufacturing professionals up-to-date on leading trends and technologies. Headquartered in Michigan, SME influences more than half a million manufacturing engineers and executives annually. The Society has members in 70 countries and is supported by a network of hundreds of chapters worldwide. Visit http://www.sme.org/ .