This month’s featured guest on “Lean Catalyst” is: Art Byrne, Author, The Lean Turnaround.

In this dynamic, one-hour interview series, we will bring together like-minded CEOs who have successfully embraced Lean thinking to drive exceptional results. Through captivating conversations, we delve into their remarkable achievements, uncovering the strategies, insights, and practical wisdom that have propelled their organizations forward. Each series features an in-depth interview with a distinguished CEO who has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in leveraging Lean principles. It’s a great opportunity for sharing experiences, strategies, and valuable knowledge that others can apply to their own leadership journeys.

Best known as the CEO who led an aggressive Lean conversion that increased The Wiremold Company’s enterprise value by 2,467% in just under ten years, Art is the author of the best-selling books The Lean Turnaround and The Lean Turnaround Action Guide. His Lean journey began with his first general manager’s job at General Electric Company in January 1982. Later, as group executive of Danaher Corporation, Art worked with Shingijutsu Global Consulting from Nagoya, Japan, all ex-Toyota Corporation experts, to initiate lean at Danaher.

During his career, the Shingo Institute recognized Art with two awards: it bestowed the Shingo Prize to Wiremold in 1999 while he was CEO and the Shingo Publication Award to The Lean Turnaround Action Guide in 2018. Art is also a member of the AME (American Association of Manufacturing Excellence) Hall of Fame and the IndustryWeek magazine Manufacturing Hall of Fame. Art finished his career as an Operating Partner at the private equity firm J. W. Childs Associates L.P.

Art was a scholarship hockey player and received his Bachelor of Science in Economics from Boston College and an MBA from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts.