Tim Banner (center) of Crown leads AME attendees through one of the amplifier manufacturing cells.

Elkhart, IN - Dec 3, 2007 - Crown recently had the distinction of being a tour site for the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) 2007 International Conference in Chicago. Founded in 1985, the AME annually holds an international conference, and one of the highlights is the opportunity to tour a variety of leading manufacturing and service facilities. Nearly three dozen attendees chose to travel two hours on a bus to Elkhart, IN, to see Crown.

Visitors included representatives from Boeing, Honeywell, Volvo, Hallmark, John Deere, Oral-B, Johnson and Johnson, Abbott Labs, Hon and Raytheon. The visitors noted six key manufacturing aspects that most impressed them: Computer displays of work instructions; preventative maintenance and drawings on press brakes; training videos at workstations for all shifts; the training center; the overall cleanliness of the factory; and the employee culture.