Over the last several years Lean Manufacturing (as originally adopted by Toyota as they rose to being the largest auto manufacturer in the world) has evolved to touching every type of business. Our own odyssey started several years ago when a visit to an equipment supplier in Europe inspired a commitment to raise the standards of our own operations. We started with a self-generated list of about 30 improvements (baby steps!) we could make on our own. That accomplished, we then teamed up with a professional consultant to dig deeper into the process. Lean continues to be a preoccupation.