This week I am chatting with Tony Hayes, an executive lean leader responsible for the Wabash management system, continuous improvement and quality at Wabash.

In this episode, Tony and I talk about his experience with Lean and Lean culture as well as transformation and why it’s so important to create a story around transformation with Lean.

What You’ll Learn This Episode:

What makes a good Lean leader
The characteristics of a bad Lean leader
How to effectively scale during a transformation
Spreading Lean culture in a large organization
Creating development opportunities for leaders
Having a dedicated lean team vs. having lean embedded in the organization
Creating a story around why you’re changing
The importance of creating a learning culture
Problem solving in Lean culture

About the Guest:

Tony Hayes is an Executive Lean Leader, responsible for the Wabash Management System, Continuous Improvement and Quality at Wabash, supporting the CEO and the Executive Leadership Team, driving customer value creation. He has extensive experience in delivering profitable growth, improving risk profile, and increasing return on invested capital in the automotive, transportation, aerospace and defense industries. Tony is a seasoned operations and lean expert with extensive experience in strategy and organizational governance. Tony has utilized his lean expertise to assist organizations with their most complex problems in manufacturing, engineering, material planning and logistics, value chain management, and quality.

As Global Lean Leader, Supply Chain at GE Transportation a Wabtec Company, a $11 billion operation, Tony was responsible for developing and driving the strategic vision of global continuous improvement across the enterprise.

As the Ford Production System (FPS) Lean Implementation Manager – North American Car Region at Ford, Tony was instrumental in Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant’s journey to receiving the Shingo Prize, the highest standard for organizational excellence.

Tony, a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. He also holds a Master of Science in Manufacturing Management, a Master of Science in Operations Management, and a Master of Business Administration, all obtained from Kettering University in Flint, Michigan. In addition, Tony is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and is certified through University of Michigan in Lean Manufacturing and Operations, as well as Lean Office and Service, in addition to being a Shingo Institute Alumni.

Important Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyhayes

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