The Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show: Casual Convos with Manufacturing Pros
Manufacturing leaders face daily challenges—from quality pressures to efficiency demands. This show brings real conversations from those who've solved these problems.
But behind every high-performing plant are leaders solving big problems with innovative strategies, transformative technologies, and counter-intuitive approaches that challenge the status quo.
In each episode, you'll hear candid conversations with manufacturing professionals sharing their unique perspectives on top-of-mind topics and actionable advice you can apply immediately.
Walk away with actionable ideas and new perspectives on continuous improvement, from people who truly understand your daily challenges.
The Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show: Casual Convos with Manufacturing Pros
Data, Alignment, and Action: Lessons from Lean Transformation
In this episode of Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show, host Josh Santo sits down with Julie Adkins, Senior Manager of Lean Transformation, Continuous Improvement, and Operational Excellence, to dig into what it takes to drive meaningful change on the plant floor. Julie shares how her team navigated the challenges of merging two manufacturing plants, building new processes from scratch, and setting daily routines that keep everyone focused on progress.
Julie explains how daily improvement meetings, clear KPIs, and team alignment form the backbone of a strong operational culture. She highlights why consensus on key metrics matters and how data—while not everything—points to areas for real improvement. Julie also describes how her team moved from firefighting to building sustainable systems, using 5S and practical coaching to help everyone take ownership.
Throughout the conversation, Julie stresses that change sticks when leaders invest in people, stay flexible, and set priorities that everyone can rally around. The episode offers a down-to-earth look at building buy-in, making data useful, and growing a culture where continuous improvement becomes part of everyday work.
