THE MANUFACTURING DILEMMA IS WELL KNOWN. THE COMPLEXITY OF THE CHALLENGE AND THE DYNAMIC NATURE OF THE ENVIRONMENT DOES NOT YIELD TO SYSTEMS OR PHILOSOPHY ALONE. THE PROCESS OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT REQUIRES A METHODICAL APPROACH, A SYSTEM TO CARRY OUT THE METHODOLOGY, AND AN ORGANIZATION WITH THE PASSION TO MAKE CHANGES. THE AUTHOR WORKS FROM THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE USER ORGANIZATION AND THE VALUE ADDED EFFICIENCY (VAE) IMPROVEMENT METHODOLOGY TO DEFINE AN INTEGRATED SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE. THIS SYSTEM INCORPORATES THE METHODOLOGY THAT WILL GUIDE THE MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISE THROUGH THE PROCESS OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT.