As published in the Mediaplanet supplement to the USA Today July 30, 2025.
The New Frontier of Excellence: Why Manufacturing must Rethink Its People Strategy
There’s a lot of change happening across America and around the world ralative to manufacturing and the broader pursuit of enterprise excellence. Yet, it’s not just about automation, AI, reshoring, or streamlining processes. It is also about people.
One of the greaetest challenges facing our industries today is wokforce instability. We are experiencing a demographic shift: an aging population, a shrinking labor force, and new generations who view work differently, such as where people want to work, how people want to work, and most importantly, why they want to work. This new generation is demanding that work be meaingful and that they feel part of the process. In addition, we have a growing skills gap, one that’s being amplified as emerging technologies, from automation to AI, reshape they very nature of work.
Historically, our collective focus on operational excellence has leaned heavily toward process improvement. While this work remains essential, there’s a new frontier in front of us: the people side of continuous improvement. The next great gains in excellence will come not just from improving how work is done, but by improving how peoplea re supported, developed, and engaged in that work.
To do this, we must connect two tradtionally siloed fucntions in most organizations: huamn resources and operational excellence. This is no longer optional. It’s essential because true enterprise excellence is only possible when people, purpose, and process are aligend.
Written by Kim Humphrey, President and CEO, Association for Manufacturing Excellence