Do you tolerate the waste?
MRO Today: I really like the way this is put in the column: – Do you rationalize away the reasons for waste in your practices? – Do you eliminate waste at a leisurely or convenient pace (improve when you have…
Month June 2005
Brunswick to Close Factory
L.A. Times Here’s a sad update on an earlier story about Brunswick. They decided to move bowling ball production to Mexico, closing the factory in Michigan. The CEO said:“After discussions with union representatives, we have found that little more can…
Update on Duke Medical Mistake Case
Eyewitness News 11.com: Duke Awaits Analysis in Instrument Probe: It’s lean healthcare day on the blog, I guess. This is an update to a story reported earlier. “Bassett received a letter from Duke in January, which said surgical instruments had…
Toyota’s efficiencies can benefit American health care
David K. Wessner, President and chief executive officer of Park Nicollet Health Services.Here is a column from the leader of a Minnesota non-profit hospital, defendng the idea that using TPS is health care does not mean an “assembly line” for…
Lean Thinking Poster at a Chinese Airplane Factory
KRT Wire | 06/14/2005 : Above is an article that talks about Boeing and Airbus moving airplane production into China. This item struck me as very Toyota like in the attitude: “Ubiquitous white poster boards with company slogans hang in…
Stop the (end-of-quarter) Madness!!!
www.focusedperformance.com Ah, end of quarter time. Predictable craziness that happens four times a year. How are your lean efforts impacted by end of quarter? Does standard work and standard WIP get thrown out in an effort to “do everything you…
Standard Work from the World of Nascar
WSJ.com – Requires Subscription: I love using Nascar examples for lean training — quick changeover (external setup and pit stops), visual controls (the gauges on the dash all point straight up when things are right), and here is a standard…
Another Advantage for China Manufacturers
USATODAY.com – How to stop a thief China This editorial raises the issue that China not only has cheaper labor costs, but, thanks to rampant piracy, hardly any factories pay for ERP, CAD/CAM, etc. “In a U.S. factory like mine…
Are We " Good Enough" in Manufacturing?
Seth Godin : Seth’s Blog: The seduction of “good enough” Seth Godin is a fantastic writer on marketing, product development, and innovative ideas. This thought struck me, though, as it could easily apply to our factories: Are they “good enough”?…
A Very Misguided Article on Toyota
Tri-County Times – Columnists – 05/31/2005 – If I were king 5/26/05 It’s fitting that this columnist (from north of Detroit) doesn’t show his face in the picture that accompanies his column. He’s a bomb-throwing coward, unlike most columnists who…
In Friedman’s flat new world, the sky’s the limit
ContraCostaTimes.com | 06/12/2005 Thomas Friedman’s book “The World Is Flat” is great reading for anyone looking at issues of globalization. This article is nice summary of sorts, with reference to his “Dell Theory of Global Security” (or something like that)…
Boeing Doesn’t Know That "Profit = Price – Cost" ?
Arizona Republic: For the thousandth time, the Toyota principle is that prices are set by the market, therefore Profit = Price – Cost. The old industrial mindset was a “cost plus” approach where Price = Cost + Profit. This quote…