Michael Abernathy and Craig Neuhardt

Power Curbers began their lean journey several years ago and enjoyed great success with increased productivity, lower costs, shorter lead times, and improved levels of customer service. Power Curbers is a privately held company making machinery for slip-forming concrete curb & gutter, highway safety barriers, paving, and dams. Power Curbers is committed to their customers, their employees, and is closely associated with the community in which the company grew up over the last 50+ years.

Power Curbers also holds the record for the fastest implementation of Lean Accounting methods!! Starting with a training class in November 2005, through some implementation kaizen events; the company went “live” with their initial Lean Accounting processes in January 2006. In this short case study CFO Michael Abernathy and Operations VP Craig Neuhardt will describe the changes they needed to make and the benefits gained from value stream costing, plain English financial statements, visual boards, and the elimination of wasteful transactions.