When we realized that we were going to have to address the COVID-19 situation at Cambridge Air Solutions from a corporate standpoint, we started a Steering Committee, as I am sure many of you did. Our COO/CFO was part of this committee and he stated up front that the Committee needed to act within four core principles, Wellbeing, Generosity, Creativity and Transparency. These principles fall into line with our “We exist to glorify God by enriching every life we touch.” But how exactly do you “Enrich Lives” when things are changing faster than you can react?

With global and domestic news that can be downright terrifying, it’s ok to do whatever you can to maintain a level of normalcy and comfort right now. However, it can be said that this is the time when we must do what we can to enrich a life of a fellow human being, even if that means doing so from a safe, socially distanced space. As we are all lacking the comfort of a normal routine and proximity to extended family and friends, there are things that we can still do to make another human being’s life better in some way.

We all know what Employee Engagement means, getting our employees to be present at work. Getting them to make things better, paying attention to quality and making sure our customers are taken care of. But how do we get it?

Changing perspective might be your game changer. It certainly was ours. “Helping Leaders Create Better Working Environments for Hard Working People” is the message on the home page of our website. It signals for the reader, the answer to the question “What is it that you do?” For years, we answered that question by saying that we are an HVAC manufacturer. Technically, that is true - however, “What we do” is help business leaders support their people by delivering systems/processes/support along with our equipment that create comfort and well-being for an organization’s most valuable asset – their employees.

"My passion is to restore Glory and Dignity back to US Manufacturing." This ambitious statement was first articulated by our CEO, John Kramer, during a lean exposure trip in 2017. Since then, it's become our mantra at Cambridge, demonstrating what we we all know is true: that the people working within the manufacturing industry are elevating perceptions and creating a huge impact on the overall national GDP. And we need to celebrate them.

Cambridge has recently decided to test the Andon strategy from the Toyota Production System in conjunction with the lean manufacturing already being practiced at our shop. Andon is a popular form of visual management used in lean, designed to alert operators of problems as they occur in order for corrective action to be taken immediately. Originating from the Jidoka methodology used in Toyota’s production system, the system empowers employees to recognize problems and take initiative to stop the workflow without waiting for their superiors to do so.