Post by Shihao-Andy Yu

A few reflections from my recent visit to South America: Brazil, Argentina, and Chile.   1. Remarkable progress of lean transformation in our Manaus plant, enabling us to welcome more business to the plant. Congratulations to Thomas Luis De Paula, Luciano Branco Costa, and the entire team!   2. Solid Lean Cadence and Lean Core in the Gemba. I check and re-emphasize such Lean Gemba Core during every visit because I strongly believe: A great plant, DC, or supply chain is often a quiet one - not because nothing goes wrong, but because problems are detected and continuously improved while they are still small. Lean cadence and core in Gemba ensure that. Well done Murilo Fescina, Leonardo Bodnar, Javier Urriza, Angelica Urzua Contreras for leading by example.   3. Strong collaboration with BU and Ops to finalize the localization plan on one key product line. When the Golden Triangle - R&D, Sales, and Supply Chain - works as one team, transformation accelerates. Thank you Xiao HU, hairong cui, Rafael Segrera, Roberto Rossi for the strong partnership!   4. How can supply chain becomes the growth engine in the region with a smaller manufacturing footprint? My reflections - and I would love to hear yours. - A Fighting Spirit team, hungry to WIN and DELIVERS with flawless execution. (The skill of effectively influence, align, drive results without direct authority is critical for each level) - Shorter lead times, Agile orchestration. Strategically design/resign the network; prioritize lead time, reliability, customer experience, not just silo functional KPIs. - Smart late-differentiation manufacturing strategies. - Offer Simplification to focus resources where we can create greatest impact.   After this trip, I am more convinced than ever: strategy matters, but great team makes the difference. The foundation and the team are already in place. Looking forward to the next wave of transformation and growth across South America. Thomas Luis De Paula, Fernando Berger,Melisa Reyes,Vinicius Alves, Willian Bittencourt Camargo, Helouise Schiavinati, Ingrid Araújo S. Canettieri, Ezequiel Espina, Leonardo Bodnar,Ciro Saad, Jacqueline Mora Moreno,Cristian Garcia