I was in Holland, Michigan quite a bit the past few years doing consulting work. That town has really been hit hard by factory closings and job cuts. See the next article below for more on one reason we're losing jobs to China — the pegging of their currency to the dollar, which artificially lowers the price of goods coming from China. It's too bad that Sligh, and others companies like this, couldn't rally around lean manufacturing to help themselves. Click here for a recent article about a Dallas furniture company that did use lean to be more than competitive.
Mark Graban
Mark Graban is an internationally-recognized consultant, author, and professional speaker who has worked in healthcare, manufacturing, and startups. His latest book is Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve More. He is author of the Shingo Award-winning books Lean Hospitals and Healthcare Kaizen, as well as The Executive Guide to Healthcare Kaizen. He also published the anthology Practicing Lean that benefits the Louise H. Batz Patient Safety Foundation, where Mark is a board member. Mark is also a Senior Advisor to the technology company KaiNexus.