What happens when the Lean fundamentals drive engineering & manufacturing innovation? Re:Build Manufacturing emerges—a powerful force reshaping American industry with cutting-edge strategies and collaborative excellence. Founders Jeff Wilke and Miles Arnone, both MIT Leaders for Manufacturing alumni, are at the forefront of this transformation. Jeff, the architect behind Amazon Prime, led Amazon’s consumer business for 20 years, while Miles applied Lean principles as an Operating Partner in a private equity setting. Their expertise gave rise to our 16 Principles, with the 15th focused exclusively on Lean and continuous improvement. Discover how Re:Build Manufacturing is revolutionizing the manufacturing industry and advancing efficiency and innovation.
Revolutionizing the manufacturing industry starts with capturing existing industry leaders and bringing them all into one team. Re:Build Manufacturing has acquired 13 different companies since 2021, all leaders and innovators within different industries and capabilities in manufacturing and engineering services. Re:Build acquired Optimation in 2021, adding over 35 years of experience, knowledge, and innovation to their value chain. “Optimation is a key addition to our team, rapidly scaling our capabilities to design and build advanced manufacturing processes and equipment to service our customers in many industries,” said Chad Clawson, COO of Re:Build Manufacturing.
At Re:Build Optimation, Lean Fundamentals are more than principles—they drive our transformation. With guidance from Re:Build’s
leadership, we’re fine-tuning our operations for precision and excellence. Nick Esposito, our Business Unit Lean Manager brings extensive experience from GE and Lean Manufacturing. In collaboration with Chris Harness, our Senior Lead Engineer, they integrate Lean across engineering, design, fabrication, and corporate services. “Our goal is to coach and empower the cross-functional leadership team, giving them the tools to weave Lean into our daily culture,” Nick says, highlighting the importance of hands-on learning in achieving true Lean adoption.
The Re:Build Lean Operating System is anchored by six key fundamentals: 5S + Safety, Gemba Walks, Leader Standard Work, Problem Solving, Visual Management, and Waste Identification. When Re:Build Optimation first began adopting these Lean Fundamentals, Nick and his team targeted the areas for maximum impact with the fastest results. They focused on engaging and empowering the trades team, prioritizing 5S + Safety and Visual Management to cut waste and address safety proactively. This approach laid a strong foundation for change and created a clear communication channel between frontline workers and the leadership team, ensuring efficient scheduling and issue resolution to avoid delays.
Manufacturing Efficiency
A crucial part of integrating Lean into our daily operations has been applying the principles to our client project. Nuvera Fuel Cells tasked Re:Build Optimation with refining the engineering design, procuring materials, and fabricating a custom Fuel Cell Test Stand. Given the standard nature of Fuel Cell Test Stands, this project was perfect for improving our fabrication processes. The initial build was scheduled for 16 weeks. Our team used this period to assess resource needs, set daily and weekly milestones, and identify problem areas. We introduced a Managing Daily Improvement (MDI) board to track and visualize the build’s progress, which helped us create a Pareto chart identifying inefficiencies.
With a 4-week gap before the next build, our Lean team focused on reducing lead time and addressing the issues in the first build. We committed to a 12-week build, a 25% reduction in lead time. We set up a new MDI board and established open communication between the project manager, construction manager, and the trades team lead. By enhancing our fabrication setup and improving communication between designers and engineers, we completed the second build in under 12 weeks. This improvement allowed our customer to scale up operations without delaying their timeline. Developing flexible yet applicable standards in numerous projects provides us with a roadmap to recreate this process in future projects across various clients.
The Lean Manufacturing System is built on continuous improvement and respect for people. Using these principles as a starting point can help define what Lean looks like in your business. Implementing Lean doesn’t have to be complex or expensive. Often, the solution lies in refining existing processes and reimagining success. The crucial element for a successful transformation is securing buy-in from the leadership team. You can improve significantly by rejecting the status quo and driving your team towards better outcomes.
Connect with a member of our team today to take advantage of the benefits our Lean operating system provides.
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