Lynn Thomson and I travel the globe looking for anything lean that can help friends, followers, readers and customers. We had the opportunity to meet a man who absolutely rocked our world. I’d like to share the story with you right now.

It all starts with a company called In the Ditch Towing Products, founded by Chuck Ceccarelli. He initially launched Idaho Wrecker Sales (IWS) in 1994 and later spun off In the Ditch as a sister company to manufacture towing-related accessories. 

Chuck had already made his debut in the lean world with nothing short of a radical transformation of his company. So, there was no shortage of videos on the internet from his lean transformation. I was already a big fan despite never having met him.

To this day, I can’t recall how I ever got his phone number, but I do recall our first conversation. He asked me to read a book called “Message to Garcia” before I called him back.
 
I didn’t ask why, but I immediately read the book, and by the time I was done, I knew why he had requested that of me. I have come to learn that Chuck likes to give people small litmus tests just to make sure his valuable time isn’t wasted on tire kickers. To me, he has been an inspiration, valued advisor and mentor ever since.

I asked if he would be interested in being on our podcast called “On the shop floor.” He not only agreed but also offered us a full plant tour. It was such an opportunity I brought three other people from my manufacturing company, as well.

Some of the best conversations happen between events, so we put a microphone and camera on him the minute we said hello, and we got so much more than we bargained for. 

Watch the conversations we had in the boardroom prior to the tour. 

 

We knew there was just something different about the way Chuck’s mind worked when he told us the story about a manhole cover he was once standing on. He said, “I looked down at this 300-pound piece of metal, and embossed on it was ‘made in India.’ I just didn’t understand how that could get made, travel the globe to get to the USA, more trucking to Idaho and installed right here under my feet for less than we could do it ourselves.” 

It’s that exact mindset, challenging the status quo, that helps people push the boundaries of what’s possible.

“Made in USA” is not just a slogan to Chuck. He believes we can compete with anyone, anywhere, anytime, if we just put our mind to it. 

Chuck is a huge fan of Toyota, and not only did he read all the books, but also he took action and made the Toyota Way the In the Ditch way, using TPS (Toyota Production System) as the building blocks of his company. 

With each problem they encountered he would say, “What does the book say to do?” 

Most of us read a book, maybe have one big takeaway and never open it again. Not Chuck; he used those books as his north star. 

Watch the footage we took on the way to the plant tour. 

Chuck said, “I recall reading one of the Toyota books that said ‘if you’re not doing single-piece flow, you’re just a poser.’” And that struck such a chord with him, he said enough was enough, he was going to end the struggle. 

He put all of his staff on one side of the room, and took out a big piece of chalk. 

He put a line across the floor and said “If you choose to cross this line, then you are committing to figuring this lean thing out. We are going to create paradise at work. We are going to figure out single-piece flow, and we are going to be the best manufacturer we can be. 

“It’s not going to be easy, as a matter of fact, it’s probably going to be very difficult. We will struggle, we will fail, but we won’t give up. It’s going to be the challenge of a lifetime, and I absolutely won’t hold it against anyone who doesn’t want to cross the line. No judgment, and we will give you a few weeks severance pay.  

“For those who cross, there is no turning back, we’re going to make this happen or die trying.”

Watch the plant tour: youtube.com/watch?v=HProEfhA8FA. 

 

I have to believe Chuck changed a lot of lives that day. Under his leadership and with the help of an amazing team, they went from the early days of struggling to pay bills to a 35 percent EBITA on $25 million in sales. 

Those numbers are a little unheard-of in manufacturing (actually, a lot unheard-of). 

If you want to hear more, and right from the man himself, there is a link to the podcast we did with him. This could possibly be the best two hours of your life, not joking, don’t miss this one. 

Listen to the podcast we did with Chuck. If this doesn’t blow your socks off and kick you into high gear, nothing will. 

 

I hope our visit to In the Ditch towing products has the same profound effect on you as it had on us. I encourage everyone to draw that line on the floor and get your teams working towards building their paradise at work.