HID, which makes custom plastic ID badges and card readers for airports and other secure facilities worldwide, was able to improve on-time delivery to customers from 55 percent to 94 percent in just two years using the lean system.Brian Montanari, HID's director of global operations, said the North Haven plant's future was in doubt until it adopted lean techniques. A big reason for HID's success, Montanari said, is management tapped into workers' pride and allowed them to do their jobs instead of micromanaging them ? one of the theme's of Ratzenberger's speech.The passages Ratzenberger read from his book revealed a firm belief that America's struggle to hold onto manufacturing is a struggle to retain its character and soul."My hometown of Bridgeport was a manufacturing town," he read. "You couldn't walk down the street without hearing the hum of an honest day's work."Ratzenberger said parents would tell their children with pride all the stuff they made, and the local companies sponsored Little League Baseball teams and charities. It was a time when the blue-collar worker could earn enough money to comfortably take care of his or her family, he said.



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