Lance Richardson

Lance Richardson – Associate Operations

A seasoned Lean and Operational Excellence executive, he brings more than 25 years of experience leading transformation across manufacturing, supply chain, and logistics operations. Toyota-trained and a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, he has built his career helping organizations improve productivity, reduce waste, strengthen operational performance, and create sustainable cultures of continuous improvement.

His experience spans plant leadership, global Lean deployment, process redesign, supply chain optimization, plant start-ups and turnarounds, and P&L responsibility. He has worked closely with manufacturing teams and executive leadership to translate Lean principles into practical improvements on the plant floor while aligning operational strategy with broader business objectives.

With leadership experience across North America, Europe, South America, and Asia, he brings a global perspective to manufacturing excellence and organizational change. His approach combines the principles of the Toyota Production System, Kaizen, Kata, and Lean Six Sigma with a strong emphasis on developing people, improving processes, and building the internal capabilities needed to sustain results.

Fluent in German, he has also held plant and divisional Lean leadership roles in Europe and has extensive experience advising senior executives on operational strategy, organizational development, and continuous improvement.