FAQ

We offer our Awareness and the Champion Training as stand-alone classes to companies that are not Full Members of the Alliance. We also offer personalized coaching & consulting a-la-carte at an hourly rate. Contact us for more information.

As a member of the DMA, you receive access to many benefits including: Peer Mastermind Group - A weekly, hour-long meeting with 3-5 other HVAC manufacturers to connect, ask questions, solve problems, benchmark processes, and improve our companies together. One-on-One Coaching - Up to an hour, weekly, with your personal ContinuoUs Improvement Coach. Our coaches are experts in their field with decades of ContinuoUs Improvement and HVAC experience. They provide accountability and personalized guidance based on your specific needs. Group-wide chat & information sharing - We utilize Slack to facilitate communication between members and coaches between meetings. We also use it as a platform to share pictures, videos, and documentation of improvements, standards, and issues to be worked on. ContinuoUs Improvement Action Plan - Our step-by-step program to establish a culture of ContinuoUs Improvement in your organization. Our coaches will guide you down a proven path to greater efficiency, profitability, and employee engagement. CI Resources - Training guides, white papers, templates, tracking tools, and more! Access to member-exclusive events - We offer multiple opportunities a year for our members to meet face-to-face. These events often include training, shop tours, and plenty of fun social time.

Membership dues are $1,500 a month. Dues are paid via recurring credit card charge, initiated on the first of each month. There are no contracts, and you may cancel your membership at any time.

Membership is not currently available to mechanical contractors. It is only available to manufacturing companies that make HVAC duct for resale to mechanical contractors.

The CI Group meetings are focused on the unique needs of the duct manufacturer and would bring little value to you. You could benefit from our CI Training and personalized coaching. Please contact us for more information.

Our training and CI Action Plan programs are based on universal and proven lean manufacturing principles which can be applied in any company and industry. Our unique approach and focus on leadership and culture development can help you build a lasting CI program. Please contact us to see if a custom solution is right for you.

Peer Mastermind Group are scheduled for one hour each week.

Your CI Champion team should attend when possible. At least one member of your organization is expected to be present in each meeting.Other members of your organization are invited to attend all meetings, but you may decide what is relevant and valuable to your organization. Example: if the Peer Mastermind Group conducts a process study on round 90-degree gored elbows, you may want to include members from your round and spiral departments to participate in the studies and discussions.

Peer Mastermind Group meetings take place over Zoom.

DMA Coaches & Facilitators control the flow of information and work to keep it within the group. All groups operate separate communication channels to prevent unintentional information sharing. Sharing is only permitted between companies of the same Peer Mastermind Group. You are not required to share any information, although you may miss out on collaborative benefits. Your information belongs to you. Your coach will work with you personally to insure only the information you want shared is shared.

All companies will be HVAC duct manufacturers. They will fabricate a mix of rectangular, round, spiral, oval, and welded duct. Each company will be geographically diverse - they will not compete in the same market as you. (Exceptions only allowed with permission & agreement from both parties) Companies vary in size from 10-200+ employees.

Yes! We encourage collaboration between companies. We provide a means of communication and information/file sharing through Slack. Many of our members form tight bonds through the group and spend time with each other outside regular DMA meetings and events.

A step-by-step method to establish CI culture in your organization Change how employees think and approach their work by unlocking their creativity and genius to solve problems and eliminate pain points. A program to identify and develop leaders in your organization A CI Program that produces tangible, sustainable results with minimal time & resource investment required.

We recommend a team of three to six people to start, with four being the sweet spot for most companies with a total headcount of 15-50 people.

Each CI Champion will require 45 minutes per week to practice ContinuoUs Improvement: 15 minutes for tasks and 30 minutes to meet with your CI coach. For a recommended team of four CI Champions, the time commitment is three hours per week total.

All organizations are different, but here is what we find: 6 Months to build habits, develop leaders, and generate momentum (steps 1-3) An additional 3-6 Months to become established - every employee is making improvements on a regular basis (steps 3-4) ContinuoUs Improvement is a lifelong pursuit, but once your program is established, you have many options on what you prioritize. Our coaches can help guide you towards success! Progression is based on your ability to consistently meet expectations laid out by your coach. Each step of the CI Action Plan has specific graduation requirements, and your coach will help you achieve them and keep you accountable to your goals and commitments.

The CI Action Plan program is included in your monthly DMA membership dues.

The expected timeframe for a full ROI is 9-12 months. Companies on the CI Action Plan typically save around $40,000 in costs in their first year on the program, and savings are cumulative for life! Contact us for a more detailed breakdown, or let us use our calculators to give you a more personalized answer.

CI Awareness Training is typically a three hour class. For in-person offerings, we recommend 90 minutes, break for lunch, then 90 minutes. For virtual offerings, the class may be offered in 2-4 one-hour sessions, facilitated over Zoom.

CI Champion Training is typically a four hour class. For in-person offerings, we recommend 2 hours, break for lunch, then 2 hours. For virtual offerings, the class may be offered in four one-hour sessions, facilitated over Zoom.

CI Awareness training is offered to your entire organization. We recommend everyone attend as they are able. This class is designed to bring awareness to ContinuoUs Improvement, and equip your team with basic knowledge and tools for improvement while building enthusiasm for your movement. CI Champion training is offered to leaders of your CI movement. We recommend a team of 4-8 people, but this can vary based on your company size and needs. This class equips your leaders with tools & skills to lead organization change.