The Air Movement and Control Association International (AMCA) board of directors wanted to do exactly that early last year. For years, they had wrestled with a way of keeping the same high quality standards in the AMCA International laboratory yet making the testing of new products faster and more efficient. The board decided to hire a consulting firm to implement an improvement strategy called "Lean Enterprise, Constraint Management, Six Sigma and Maintenance" ("lean process" for short). This program is designed to drive fast bottom-line results as well as a cultural transformation that can accelerate and sustain improvements.
AMCA's laboratory is the centerpiece of the AMCA International Certified Rating Programs (CRP). When a new product is certified, the laboratory tests it according to the relevant AMCA standard.