“My dream was to go to Japan to see Toyota. But then I went to Salt Lake City and saw Martin Door, now I don't have to see Toyota,” Maria Stopher said. Stopher is a manufacturing engineer who has helped teach lean manufacturing for almost two decades.
		Larry Martin, vice president of Martin Door Manufacturing, listens to a point about lean manufacturing following a presentation made at the Association for Manufacturing Excellence in Boston on Nov. 2. He is shown in the photo below talking to the international gathering.

	Stopher shared her assessment of Martin Door and its version of lean---known as FloMax™---during the Association for Manufacturing Excellence conference held in Boston Oct. 31-Nov. 4. Larry Martin, vice president of Martin Door Manufacturing, made a presentation on FloMax™ and its impact on Martin Door during that international conference. Stopher reiterated the claim, again during a phone interview with Antone Clark, chief communications officer for Martin Door, in mid-November.

Stopher, former director of the lean initiative of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, said Martin Door has caught the vision of what lean is all about. She maintains that the principles of lean manufacturing need to be integrated into a company's culture and the mindset of all employees, if it is to be successful.

Stopher was particularly impressed with how Flo-Max has allowed Martin Door Manufacturing to ship any size, color or configuration of a garage door in 48 hours.

“The ability to ship so many permutations in 48 hours is impressive,” Stopher said. She said many companies she has visited in the U.S. claim to have gone lean, but can't make the principle of low volume and high mix work. Martin Door Manufacturing is the exception in that regard, she said.

Stopher maintains the excellence that is the result of implementing lean manufacturing is what is key for a U.S. company to compete with foreign companies, who feature low-cost labor.

“If I'm getting a door from China. How long do I have to wait? Do I have to get a white or brown door? If you can be innovative with processes and culture, you can compete,” Stopher said.

Stopher toured Martin Door Manufacturing in the company of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Utah earlier in the year. Larry Martin led that tour and helped discuss the evolution of lean manufacturing principles at MDM.

Larry stresses that the focal point of Flo-Max is not only speed, but also a system, which eliminates mistakes through a proper system with checks and balances. Potential problems are resolved before a garage door leaves the facility.

While garnering international attention at the conference, Larry has kept it all into perspective. He insists Martin Door continues to look for ways to improve its system, to deliver the best door in the world, in the most efficient way possible.

Stopher insists Larry Martin and Martin Door are innovators.

“How can you not be impressed by Larry Martin and his tenacity? I have worked with so many manufacturing companies across the country. Everyone wants the checklist, the tool and the secret weapon to be lean over night. You're never there. That's what really impressed me about Larry Martin. He has a relentless pursuit of perfection. It's getting into the culture and the office. It's great to see,” Stopher said.

There is another thing about the Martin Door VP that made an impression on Stopher and other business executives at the conference.

“He makes it very, very entertaining. He gets it. He lives it,” the lean manufacturing expert said.