Lippert Components has promoted Jared Kendall to the role of senior director of continuous improvement.
In his new role, Kendall will lead LCI’s team of lean directors and direct value analysis, value engineered team activities across all divisions within the company to support lean improvements and operational efficiencies.
Kendall has been with LCI for three years and previously served as lean director, where he focused on creating continuous improvement within the company’s RV products division. Kendall will now expand his cost-saving and waste-reduction efforts company-wide by employing the kaizen philosophy, using practical problem solving, engaging operational leadership teams, and leading VAVE projects.
“We’re continually expanding our Lean process improvements, VAVE team activities, and operational efficiencies, and I’m excited to see Jared take charge of these efforts,” said Ryan Smith, senior vice president of operations at LCI.
LCI’s VAVE Team concentrates on several objectives including: chassis cost savings, optimization of chassis designs, improvement of manufacturing processes, evaluation of structural questions and/or concerns, OEM partnerships for the creation of new chassis designs, and the overall maintenance and expansion of structural guidelines.
“I’ve worked closely with Jared for about a year, and he’s shown a true brilliance at identifying areas of waste and continuing to come up with solutions to decrease that waste. He has a keen ability to lead teams, and I’m especially proud of him for his strong track record of developing and training fellow LCI team members on continuous improvement,” said John Ries, vice president of RV Products at LCI.
“I’m thankful for the opportunity to lead such a strong and talented team. I’m excited to continue our cost-saving and waste-reduction efforts and to utilize our creative problem-solving abilities to achieve our improvement goals,” said Kendall.
