Douglas Dynamics, Inc. recently showcased its Lean Manufacturing expertise to a group of more than 40 members of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME).

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Douglas Dynamics, Inc. excels at Lean Manufacturing

Milwaukeemanufacturing facility hosts Association for Manufacturing Excellence tour

MILWAUKEE(Nov. 27, 2012) - Douglas Dynamics, Inc., the North American leader in the design, manufacture and sale of snow and ice control equipment for four-wheel-drive pickup trucks, recently showcased its Lean Manufacturing expertise to a group of more than 40 members of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME).

The tour, which took place at the Douglas Dynamics Milwaukee, Wis., manufacturing facility, demonstrated how the company has adopted and implemented the Toyota Production System (TPS). TPS is a continuous improvement process that helps to improve overall customer value by eliminating waste and optimizing the production of parts and products.

Since Douglas Dynamics switched from being a traditional batch and queue manufacturer to using the TPS in 2004, the company has improved in all areas of safety, quality, delivery and cost. Some highlights of the transformation include a reduction in quality defects, low OSHA/DART rates, an increase of on-time delivery of products from 60 to 98 percent and a drop in lead times of two to four weeks down to one to three days. As well, Douglas Dynamics has seen an impressive gain in efficiency since incorporating TPS into their Milwaukee and Rockland, Maine, manufacturing facilities.

"We have worked hard and taken many steps to ensure that each of our production facilities operate at the highest quality standards and adhere to the principles of Lean," says Jon Sievert, Douglas Dynamics Director of Lean. "It was an honor to have representatives from AME come to our facility to see the improvements that we have made."

The AME tour attendees were impressed with the process improvements that have been made at Douglas Dynamics. In a post-tour survey, one attendee proclaimed, "This site was one of the best living examples of Lean that I have seen," while another stated, "Douglas Dynamics gets lean right."

Thanks to the success of the event, Douglas Dynamics plans on hosting an AME regional event in 2013.

About Douglas Dynamics

Douglas Dynamics (NYSE: PLOW) headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is the

leading manufacturer of snowplows for four-wheel drive pickup trucks and sport utility

vehicles. Its snow and ice control products are manufactured in two locations in the

United States - Milwaukee, WI, and Rockland, ME and are sold under the

BLIZZARD®, FISHER®, and WESTERN® brand names.

Media Contact

Fuzz Martin

EPICCreative

press@epiccreative.com

(262) 338-3700ext. 26