Apmc 00 - 1 Students "Bowled Over" At Richmond Facility - Advanced Program Management Course - Brief Article

Program Manager, May, 2000

Students from DSMC's 14-week Advanced Program Management Course (APMC 00-1) recently visited the world's largest bowling company, AME, Inc., as part of a Manufacturing Management class assignment. AME, located in Richmond, Va., was founded in 1900 as American Machine and Foundry, a manufacturer of tobacco farming machinery. Today, AMF is the world's largest bowling company operating 545 bowling centers worldwide, with 60 million customer visits per year. AMF makes and sells bowling equipment worldwide, including automatic pin spotters, automated lane cleaners/oils, sophisticated scoring equipment, bowling pins, lanes, ball returns, bags, shoes, and other bowling-related products.

Students relished the opportunity to observe first-hand manufacturing processes recently studied in the classroom. During the visit, they reviewed AME's manufacturing practices to determine whether the company used Lean Manufacturing Model principles in their manufacturing processes. Not only is the company operating under Lean Manufacturing Model principles, students found that AMF is very sensitive to how lean manufacturing principles can improve their manufacturing operation and profit.

Over the years, student feedback consistently reflects that many APMC students typically characterize industry field trips as an extremely valuable experience at DSMC -- one that gives them a heightened awareness of acquisition reform and industry's role in implementing best practices.