Quarterly Update: Q2 2026

By Mike Loughrin

We’re excited to share with you our top accomplishments from the second quarter of 2026:

1. Propelling Careers with Lean and Six Sigma
2. Lean Leadership Resource
3. Blast from the Past
4. Featured Customer of the Quarter
5. Supporting the Next Generation of Supply Chain Leaders
6. 2026 Annual Plan

Let’s dive in and look closer at each one!

1. Propelling Careers with Lean and Six Sigma

We’re proud to have helped individuals achieve career milestones by earning certifications as Certified Lean Practitioner.

We celebrated a significant number of certifications earned in Q2, including:

• 79 people earning the Certified Lean Practitioner designation

Looking ahead to Q3, we’re excited to see a large number of individuals complete their training and earn the Certified Six Sigma Green Belt designation.

2. Lean Leadership Resource: Empowering Transformation

We’re excited to share that our resource on Lean Leadership has been well-received by organizations seeking guidance on their Lean journeys.

Our comprehensive resource page outlines the key phases of a Lean Transformation, which are crucial for leadership teams to navigate. These three critical phases are:

• Explore: Identify opportunities for improvement and lay the foundation for change.
• Launch: Implement changes and drive momentum towards a more efficient organization.
• Sustain: Embed Lean principles into daily operations and continuously improve processes.

We’re thrilled with the positive response to our resource page, which has prompted us to expand our offerings. We’re developing additional content for Leaders to utilize during each phase of a Lean Transformation and recruiting a specialist to provide expert coaching for Project Champions and Continuous Improvement Enthusiasts.

3. Blast from the Past: Levi’s Sells Dockers

One of our most memorable clients, Levi’s, has been in the news recently after announcing it sold the Dockers brand.

Looking back on our work with Levi’s, it’s great to remember the positive impact we had on their supply chain management processes. We helped them transform their operations using value stream mapping and SAP APO.

Those were great times – working in San Francisco meant that Monday through Thursday was all about jeans, while Fridays were Dockers days!

Want to learn more about Levi’s news? You can read about it here: Levi’s Sells Dockers.

4. Featured Customer of the Quarter: CoorsTek

Congratulations to CoorsTek for being awarded 2026 Manufacturing Workforce Innovator of the Year at the 2026 Colorado Manufacturing Network Awards.

We’re proud to highlight our work with CoorsTek Bioceramics, who launched a comprehensive Lean Transformation program focused on education, projects, and building a culture of continuous improvement.

We helped CoorsTek Bioceramics understand the benefits of Lean, including why it’s considered the #1 organizational improvement program. We also helped the team at CoorsTek Bioceramics run numerous Lean Value Stream Mapping projects.

5. Supporting the Next Generation of Supply Chain Leaders

We’re excited to continue our partnership with the University of Wyoming Supply Chain Management (SCM) Club, providing educational and professional development opportunities for students.

As part of this ongoing partnership, we are planning to offering our Certified Six Sigma Yellow Belt, this fall.

We are also making this program available to everyone. By taking advantage of this promotion, professionals will not only get access to our high-quality training programs at a discounted rate, but the SCM club will also benefit from a portion of the proceeds.

This will be a great way for anyone to support the next generation of supply chain leaders while advancing their skills and knowledge!

6. 2026 Annual Plan: Building on Our Commitment to Continuous Improvement

We are making great progress on executing the goals identified in our 2026 Annual Plan. The goals remain viable and are still great opportunities for us to invest in.

One of our top priorities is helping clients and prospects apply for educational grants facilitated by Manufacturer’s Edge, Colorado’s official Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Center. Through the Skill Advance Colorado Job Training Grants program, we can help you access funding for training and upskill your workforce. If you’re a Colorado manufacturer interested in learning more, please reach out to us.

Our 2026 Annual Plan also includes:

• Investments in upgrading our content and technology for our Certified Lean Apprentice and Certified Six Sigma Yellow Belt
• Expanding our collaborations with universities, focusing on helping student clubs earn revenue and promote the value of Lean and Six Sigma certifications to students as differentiators for their resumes
• Increasing our thought leadership content in the Transformance Communiqué, the newsletter for those crafting a sustainable organization
• Improve our capability for helping people working with Workforce centers to advance their careers