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Host Sean Frost is joined by experts in the manufacturing industry to discuss bringing big ideas to life. Join us every episode for a deep dive into manufacturing trends, processes, innovation, and how to be successful in the ever-changing world of manufacturing.
Ep01_LynLemke_full
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Sean Frost: [00:00:00] Hi. Welcome to the first episode of Inspiring Innovation. My name's Sean Frost. I'm the Director of sales and marketing at Polo Custom Products, and we are talking to. Different product managers, product engineers buyers, sourcing people, all the people in our different industries and in our space in the manufacturing world.
And we're going to go deep into quality supply chain operations. Scaling and we're gonna talk to different people throughout the industry. So we'll have a lot of people and our experts within Polo Custom products. We will have [00:01:00] different representatives throughout people from different industries that we serve and engineers on from all walks of life.
So we're really looking forward to sharing some insight. What we do and what you can learn from our great expertise. We are here at Omni Circle in Topeka, Kansas, and it's an incredible space. They've done amazing things here.
It's an amazing collaboration space and so definitely appreciate them letting us host this here. And I have a very esteem. First guest today. Her name is Lyn Lemke and she is a sales manager for Polo Custom Products.
Lyn Lemke: Thank you so much to Omni Circle for also hosting today. And thank you Sean for inviting me as the first guest. No pressure at all here. I'm very excited to be here. Mm-hmm. .
Sean Frost: So, yeah, how, how'd you end up in manufacturing? How'd you get to Polo Custom Products and what did you do before that?
Lyn Lemke: Sure.
So before Polo Custom Products, I actually worked at Payless Shoe Source [00:02:00] out of here at Topeka, Kansas, and worked there for just over 14 years in the sales space, mainly through retail operations overseeing New York. Los Angeles regions. Yep. Really doing store operations and driving sales. The main part of my career has always been in sales driving, so, it was a natural step here at Polo.
Mm-hmm. , manufacturing. That isn't my background, but I've learned a lot Yeah. As I've been here since 2017 mm-hmm. , and it's been great. Yeah. Every day there's something new Yeah. That I'm learning in the role.
Sean Frost: Well, and as our owner says being located in Topeka, Kansas, there's not a lot of other global manufacturers in our area.
So he said they've always hired smart people and, and we learned manufacturing. And so here we are talking manufacturing years later. So tell us a little bit about the role you came into and then. The different divisions that you've worked with, what's kind of been your progression with Polo Custom Products?
Lyn Lemke: Sure. So when I started with Polo in 2017, I actually was hired in [00:03:00] as a project coordinator within the industrial division and was in that role for about a year, learning really the start of a project all the way through to production. So it was a really great experience. Mm-hmm. . in that year, learned a lot about manufacturing, but also overseeing projects, which was similar to that in the role at, at payless shoe stores as well.
We did mm-hmm. , opening new stores ground up and so there's a lot of project management experience Yeah. That I was able to bring to the table for polo in that role. Yeah. I was in that role for about a year. Mm-hmm. , and then was transitioned into the division manager role in the same division.
Yeah. So it was a really nice transition because I had the experience within the same industrial division to be able to apply into the DM role. Mm-hmm. . So it worked out really well and it was a smooth transition. currently probably about two years ago. Mm-hmm. , transitioned to division manager overseeing both industrial and the medical accounts.
Mm-hmm. , And so been in that role ever since. And lots of learning again. Yeah. Because while the divisions are [00:04:00] very similar, there are a lot of differences as well in the customer base and the products that we produce across both the divisions.
Sean Frost: Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. So, tell us a little bit about those industries. What are some of the similarities you find in the industrial market to the, the medical market versus.
What are some of the differences? The major differences?
Lyn Lemke: Sure. That's a great question. I think there are actually a lot more similar similarities across both divisions. Mm-hmm. than there are differences. Mm-hmm. . But I think one of the things that surprised me most transitioning into the key account for both divisions mm-hmm
was that in the industrial. Your project timeline typically is about 18 to 24 months. Sure. Whereas in the medical market, it can be two to three years. Yeah. So that was a huge adjustment. Yeah. Obviously in the medical industry there's a lot more complexity in the products that we produce. Mm-hmm.
mm-hmm. , and the regulation as well. Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. , isn't much higher level I would say. Different and the same. Right. But the processes across [00:05:00] both divisions for project management mm-hmm. and development, that part is very similar.
Sean Frost: Right. And when it comes to the medical market, these are devices that could save lives.
They're coming into contact with skin, with, know, different patients and applications. Can you tell us, With that being serious and more development time, can you tell us about some of the types of businesses that were served in our industrial markets as well?
Lyn Lemke: Sure. So one of the main customers in our industrial divisions, oem, that's pretty well known motorcycle industry.
Mm-hmm. . And so a lot of the parts that we produce are for the OEM aspect of that particular company. Mm-hmm. , as well as a parts and accessories division as well that we support. Yeah. The. Needs are very different in that, of that type of account. Sure. And the parts that we produce, there are still very important parts of it in the way of safety.
Mm-hmm. and meeting regulations in the, I would say the, the motor industry. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Whereas in the medical field, to your point, right. Patient [00:06:00] contact lifesaving, it's a, it's a. type of importance. Mm-hmm. , um, but even a little elevated as well.
Sean Frost: Right? Yeah. I know. With one of the customers in the industrial market, there's regulations within the state of California that we have to meet certain correct specifications for.
Lyn Lemke: Right. And, and globally as well. Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. In the eu. Yeah. And so there's a lot of different requirements. Right. So I think at the end of the day, the projects are very similar, the way that we approach. Is very similar if not the same. Mm-hmm. this because at the end of the day, we're meeting the custom specs of the product that we're producing.
Mm-hmm. and ensuring that our customers are getting exactly what they need for their customers.
Sean Frost: Absolutely. So, yeah. Yeah. And can you talk a little bit, we'll get into it a little more, but just what that's what that's like when you are you know, meeting with our customers initial. who do you bring in to that process and, and what's that kind of like for them?
What are some of the [00:07:00] steps that, that our customers go through or our perspective customers go through?
Lyn Lemke: Sure. And that's actually one of the similarities. So anytime we start a new project on both sides, we'll have someone that's really going to manage the project in the way of timelines. Mm-hmm. and gathering all the right people.
Mm-hmm. in the right place at the right time to be able to get the project started. Mm-hmm. and a lot of times, , typically a salesperson in the way of the division manager. but also an engineer on the product development side. Yeah. And we mirror those roles on both sides. So Polo will bring those people to the table as well as the customer.
Mm-hmm. . And then we work together to ensure that we start the project appropriately and then we bring in the appropriate people Right. As we further in, get further into the project. Sure. Absolutely. So that's definitely similar. both sides. Yeah. Yeah. Um, And our approach is the same. Yeah.
Sean Frost: Mm-hmm. . No, that's great.
And right now you've been working with a very large [00:08:00] medical account that has had one of the fastest growing products in the history of their company and, and ours. And ours, so, yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. It's been a really great great project and, and you've been championing it and Just really making sure that all the right people are, are talking and, and finding ways to head off issues that are stemming up.
And as everyone knows, this has been one of the craziest times post pandemic and the saying has come up in some of our circles and our networks of early bad news is good news. So you can you talk to some of the different issues that have come up with, you know, such large projects and such a large scale and, and how we have, or how you have, and our team has met the call of our customers when these issues are arising.
Lyn Lemke: Those are a lot of great questions in there. So I wanna actually go back a little bit Sure. To the beginning part of that. And really, I feel like in my role, one of [00:09:00] the most important things is to be able to. the right people to the right situation. Mm-hmm. . Because at the end of the day, I'm really just a conduit to that.
Mm-hmm. , and I facilitate those conversations. So as a division manager, one of the things that we do, and I find to be one of the most important things that we do, is that we have to understand and, and know what our customer is needing. Mm-hmm. and with that inform. , then be able to find the appropriate person within our team, the expert, if you will.
Right. To be able to come in and speak to the issue at hand. Yeah. With that said and the question that you just posed is that when we have bad news right. Our job is to ensure that we can maybe flip that bad news into a good news situation mm-hmm. . And in that is that no one, no one likes bad news, right?
Right. Bad all around. Right. No one likes to hear it and certainly it's not easy to deliver it either. Sure. Yeah. But it is critically important to be able to, number one, receive the news, [00:10:00] process it for the information that you do have at hand, because we all know that bad news, I feel like, comes in waves.
You may not have all the information all at once. Right. There may be more bad stuff coming, . Yeah, absolutely. So you wanna try and manage that information so that you are. Crying wolf, right. When you're talking to your customers. Yeah. But really you wanna get them the information right away, but you wanna make sure that you have as much as the accurate information as possible.
Mm-hmm. and really taking that bad information and turning it to something good, right? Mm-hmm. . So what I feel Polo does really well is that we get all the right people together and we troubleshoot, right? And we look at the bad news and we say, okay, great. This is what's happened. Yeah. But this is what we're gonna do.
Yeah. And then these are the options that we have. Right. And because of our. we're able to foresee things that I think really help our customers. Absolutely. So that when we do come to them with the bad news early Yep. We have options. Right. And then we can collaborate with them and say, okay, these are the things that [00:11:00] we see.
These are the options that we would like to share. Mm-hmm. . But then they will also bring, okay, well had you considered this? Because they know their business best. Right? Absolutely. And then we know what options that we could present with the information that we have. , but then by collaborating, we can turn that bad news right into good news.
Right. And I think that's what the pandemic really taught us. Yeah. Was we were able to pivot before, before the pandemic. Yep. I think the pandemic helped us pivot even faster. Yeah. really kind of foresee even more potential pitfalls, right. That we'll run into.
Sean Frost: Right. Yeah. I mean, I think about our supply chain and how they've started running new reports so that we have visibility when lead times are changing and things of that nature. And the specific thing that I thought about for this question in particular was, you know, residents are changing and so
Lyn Lemke: things no one thinks about right.
Sean Frost: In the medical world, there are, you know, it's a big deal effects.
And [00:12:00] so, I don't know if you could talk a little bit to that without, you know, sharing too much detail, but just saying how that specific instance came up with a big product and how we were able to overcome that and really work together and deal with it as early as we possibly could essentially.
Lyn Lemke: Sure. And that is a great example.
And that happened a a few years ago, yet now, it seems like just yesterday sometimes. But then in reality it was two years ago when we were facing this problem. Crazy. Yeah. . And it came out of nowhere. Mm-hmm. . At our level, we were not made aware of it. And then once we were, it was like, okay, now we need to pivot like asap.
Yeah. Because we were potentially going to be lined down mm-hmm. had we not come up with an alternative mm-hmm. . And it was really through the co I mean, the amazing efforts of our supply chain team. Yep. Very open communication with our suppliers and our, like our vendors, right. Who are supplying the, the pro the raw material for the products that we produce.
And having open dialogue and flexibility as much as possible with the customer. Mm-hmm. , to basically put [00:13:00] out those options and say, well, if we're not able to accept this particular resin, we're not going to be able to continue manufacturing product. Mm-hmm. And so we found ways, creative ways, while still maintaining the integrity of the product.
Right. To be able to. Keep lines running and production going. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that was a very tricky one.
Sean Frost: It was heavy lifting for the customer as well, but Oh, absolutely. Because we were, you know, collaborating, working together. We threw everything that we could at it.
And absolutely at the end of the day, that product stayed with on time deliveries and 100% that's, that's what I feel like we. going above and beyond for with our customers. And, and so, and I, so I appreciate that.
Lyn Lemke: Yeah. And absolutely, and I think through that experience mm-hmm. , we became a stronger organization Right.
Through all areas. Right. In all departments, right? Yep. Trying to figure out ways, troubleshooting. Yep. So it was a potential moment of Oh my [00:14:00] goodness. Yeah. That we turned into a positive.
Sean Frost: yeah, and Lyn's pretty humble, but I think We have customer surveys that we do every year. Even if the response is anonymous, I almost know that that person works with Lyn Lemke because they said, I, I have the confidence in polo during these uncertain times that we're gonna find a solution to get our products to the distribution centers to, you know, where they're going. And so, so it's,
Lyn Lemke: I appreciate that, but it really takes a village. It does. It does. It's all of our teams working together. Absolutely. Sure.
Sean Frost: Yeah. Yeah. So how would you say Polo's longevity and, and 75 year history plays into our competitive edge in the market space.
Lyn Lemke: I think it's amazing. I think the 75 years and 76 years this year mm-hmm. that mm-hmm. , it lends itself to our customers having a confidence level in who we are as a manufacturer. Mm-hmm. , we don't last this long by chance. Yeah. It is through [00:15:00] lots of hard work and effort on everyone's part.
Mm-hmm. , even just in that example of the resident and all the different teams working together. Right. It's that experience. Right. That and. Really that tenure mm-hmm. mm-hmm. of to, to have those successful outcomes. Yeah. So I really do believe that it bodes well for our customers to see that 75 years.
It's, it is experience. It's, we're a solid business organization where we don't get here by accident. Right. . Right. And I'm just really proud to be a part of this organization because, not only because of the history that we've had, but because of where we're going in the future. Mm-hmm. . It's very bright.
Sean Frost: Yeah. No, it's, it's definitely an awesome time to be at the company. It doesn't seem like it would be with all the challenges that we've just laid out, that we've we've worked through necessarily, but we do have incredible experience on the team, like from. Supply chain side, our, our chief operating officers been here absolutely forever.
The quality [00:16:00] systems that we have in place and, and just really great locations and leaders in all of our locations, we're very fortunate.
Lyn Lemke: Yeah, and I think just to add on to that is just like, the commitment of our operators at every level. Mm-hmm. , you know, those that are in the front lines producing the products.
Mm-hmm. the support that they have at the plant level. Mm-hmm. , you know, with our plant engineers and all of our, all of our engineers and our designers that help support, keep everything running smooth. Right. It is just a, it's an amazing team.
Sean Frost: Yeah. Overall, no, we've we've had the opportunity to put hairnets on and, and train on some of those machines.
I know. , the former plant manager yanked me off the line. They said was holding things down. You're hindrance so Right. Yeah.
Lyn Lemke: We know our place. Yeah, exactly. We know our place for sure.
Sean Frost: Yeah. Yeah. But
Lyn Lemke: which is all the more reason why we respect what they do day in, day out because Exactly. Yeah. Yeah.
Definitely a learning curve for us, for sure. Yeah,
Sean Frost: for sure. So, I said we'd touch on this a little bit and I wanna kind of dive into it. Cause I feel like this is one of the [00:17:00] cooler aspects of our jobs. We're we get to sit across the table of people that are inventing the products that go into our hospitals or that might save the life of a, you know, , an aunt or uncle of ours.
Mm-hmm. . And so, what's it like to be sitting at those tables and then see a product come to life and then see it, you know, running in our plants? What, how, how does that feel? And, and can you just tell a little bit about some of that, those experiences?
Lyn Lemke: Number one, there's so many ways I would describe it.
It's exciting, it's humbling, it's very fulfilling, rewarding to be a part, a small. of all these amazing products that we produce. Mm-hmm. , really products that save lives, products that improve quality of life. Mm-hmm. , it's amazing. Mm-hmm. , and it makes you really feel like what you're doing every day makes a difference.
Mm-hmm. , and it does. Mm-hmm. . Yeah, to your question about, you know, sitting in all these different types of projects that, that I'm really [00:18:00] blessed to be a part of and because I learned so. from each and every one of them. That's probably one of the, my most favorite parts of my job. Yeah. Is that every day and every project is so different, right?
Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. , there's no day that's the same. Mm-hmm. . And while some people might find that to be unnerving, I think it's great, you know, because I'm always learning. I don't come from a manufacturing background. Right. So every new project presents an opportunity to learn something new. Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. . Um, So I think it's awesome.
Absolutely. But I think for me, and, and I think this is probably true for a lot of people, is that you wanna know. when you're doing a job that you are making a difference in someone's life. To your point, there are some critical products that we make that truly save lives. Mm-hmm. , and for me, and I think anyone would say, , that is where it makes everything worth it.
Mm-hmm. , you know, the long meetings where we have a, a raw material constraint. Right. But we know that we have to fix it. Yeah. Otherwise, this is potentially going to impact someone in a negative way if they don't have it. Mm-hmm. . So we [00:19:00] take on the needs of our customers when we know. What they're striving to achieve, right.
We partner with them so that we can have a part of that vision and contribute to their success. Mm-hmm. and, and in the end, we all win. Right. But at the end of the day, for me it's like knowing that I made a difference. I think that's what's critically important. Absolutely. In each of those projects that we work on.
Sean Frost: Right. Yeah. It's it's kind of funny that you mentioned like learning something new and things are always being different because a lot of people. When their kids say, you know, I aspire to be a salesperson when I grow up, you know, but I always did think, I don't want to just go sit at a desk every day Right.
And do the same thing. And we, we never have a dull moment. Right. No. Manufacturing is an exciting fast pace. We have we have hard deadlines to hit and sometimes you know, with all the FDA constraints and everything in. We're, we're wondering how we are gonna be able to do it, but we always, we [00:20:00] always work with our customers.
We always get the things that we need to do, what, what we need to do to hit those deadlines. And and it's just a super exciting industry. I always feel like, I don't feel. Qualified sometimes to be sitting at the table with like today's inventors, today's Thomas Edisons that are coming up with these products that make such an impact in the world.
And so it is an incredible incredible gig. And, and I do feel blessed as well to, to, to be sitting in the chairs that we do. How, how do we at Polo bring value to our customers and in what ways do we solidify the relationships to. Long lasting partnerships.
Lyn Lemke: I think that that's a really great question, and that's probably one of the most important things, and I know I, I've said that for a few other things.
Really at the foundation of what I do as a division manager, and I, I, I would imagine we share this across all of our dms. Mm-hmm. , is that our value add is to ensure that, number one, we know our customers, that we understand their needs so that we can [00:21:00] meet and exceed their expectations in fulfilling those needs.
Yeah. And that is truly where the partnership begins. Yes. We start on the beginning with a brand new project and we work through project meeting all the way to approval going into production. Mm-hmm. but the partnership doesn't end there. Right. It's a continuous partnership. Mm-hmm. , because as a dm, you know, we wanna make sure that yes, things are running smoothly and that the customers are getting everything they need.
Yep. But in that relationship building, I want to ensure that post-production and everything's smooth into transitioning to downstream product lines for them. Mm-hmm. that they know that they can reach out to me if there's any type. .Let's say there's a design change or a potential quality concern. We are their liaison.
We are the ones that are going to be the name that they remember, right? To be able to help them through anything that should come up in the future. Yep. That's how you build the relationship. Absolutely. And so it's really important for us to understand what the needs are, fulfill those needs so that in [00:22:00] future, you know, whether.
Hopefully not, but an issue that arises mm-hmm. that we are working to minimize a pain point for them. Mm-hmm. at all costs so that they can do their job and focus on what they need to do. Yeah. And have that as a value add, but then also ensuring that we come up with a resolution as soon as possible.
Mm-hmm. So that this way they know, you know, I can go to Polo and I know that Polo will solve the. . Right. And I want them to have that comfort level and that comes with building that relationship so that they trust in us. Mm-hmm. not only in the confidence that we exude for 75 years in business, which is a, a really proud you know, achievement, but that we prove it every day.
Right. And the value that we offer them. I just want our customers to feel that we are truly partners. Yep. And that it doesn't stop once we go to order.
Sean Frost: Right, right. That's great. We had international business students at Polo a couple weeks ago. Yeah. And I think, you know, they asked about, they were doing marketing projects and they asked about what our customers care [00:23:00] about.
And the resounding answer from everyone is that we deliver, you know mm-hmm. , that we hit their metrics, we hit what's important to them. There's no quality returns. There's, you know, we, we get the, the product to 'em on time. We do X, y, and Z on time. And, and so, I. At Polo, you know, people really do go above and beyond to make sure that our, that we do deliver, that we do build that trust over time.
And, and so,
Lyn Lemke: I think that's a, that's a really good point. And I think one of the things that I hear from our customers is that, really, they're just seeking responsiveness, right? Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. , not that we'll have the answers right out the gate, right? Sure. But we're gonna work on it and find that resolution for you.
Sean Frost: We're collecting the data, we're, you know, exactly. Reaching out to this person and that person and,
Lyn Lemke: right. Mm-hmm. and, and that I, that builds trust. Absolutely. And, and it really firms our, our relationship with our customers, which I really, I prefer calling them partners because at the end of the day, that's what we're doing, is we're working together mm-hmm.
to make each other successful. But at the [00:24:00] end of the day, if we take care of our customers and they win, then, then we're in a good position as well. Yeah.
Sean Frost: Okay. So curve ball question.
Lyn Lemke: Okay. uh oh.
Sean Frost: What's a, what's the funniest trade show moment that you've ever experienced?
Lyn Lemke: Oh my gosh. Would I have had to been at the trade show?
Or did I see something or hear something about a certain someone at a trade show?
Sean Frost: You can take this any direction you want. Lyn.
Lyn Lemke: I would probably say the MD and M 2022 show was probably one of my favorites. Yeah. I think it was both our firsts. Yeah. So we learned quite a bit stumbling through that.
I certainly did that darn. Crate. Oh yeah. with the one wheel, I think. Right. That since has been retired. Yeah. Yeah. Thank goodness. That was probably one of my favorites. I tried to block that out. Yeah. That's character building, in my opinion. No, absolutely.
Sean Frost: That was learning on the fly. Week two. I was I was,
Lyn Lemke: that's crazy.
Sean Frost: Two crates on top of [00:25:00] each other through the, the California heat.
Lyn Lemke: Yeah. In August, and I think it took me 36 hours. to get from Topeka to, Anaheim. Oh yeah. It took three almost. Well, Almost two days. Is that to get there?
Sean Frost: Is that the one that we ended up in Omaha on the way back to ?
Lyn Lemke: Yes. It was an absolute debacle.
Sean Frost: Yeah. We thought we were gonna land in Kansas City and then all of a sudden the fire surprise comes on.
Lyn Lemke: This is Omaha, Nebraska, right? . Yeah. Yeah. That was probably the most memorable.
Sean Frost: Yeah. Yeah. And then we found, A sketchy hotel to also,
Lyn Lemke: yeah, that was not, that was on my, that's my fault. That's my fault.
That's what happens. You, you try and find somebody at 2:00 AM and that's what you find.
Sean Frost: But well, the, the, the travel curse that I thought was on you and has been broken, that we, we are able to travel together again. And , I'm glad.
Lyn Lemke: Without, without issue for the most part right now we need him.
Sean Frost: Right?
Absolutely. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I'll get out to that [00:26:00] new Kansas City airport tomorrow. . Oh, nice.
Lyn Lemke: Have you been yet? I haven't, yeah, I haven't. I've heard good things.
Sean Frost: Yeah. Well, anything else fun you wanna share to wrap up the very first podcast of Polo Custom Products?
Lyn Lemke: No, I think this is a, a great opportunity and I really hope that it provides and showcases polo in a, in a positive way, and so that people can understand who we are, what we do.
Mm-hmm. and reach out to us. , you know, to learn more. Absolutely.
Sean Frost: Yeah. No, we'll have more opportunities like this, but we appreciate you just launching us out of the gate in epic style. So.
Lyn Lemke: Well, thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it. Yep. It's been fun. Thanks. Thank you.
Sean Frost: thank you so much for listening to our first episode. Be sure to like and subscribe on whatever platform that you listen to and we will be dropping these on the second Tuesday of every month.
So tune in next month. [00:27:00]