New Book from Chuck Yorke
Book Link There’s a new book from Chuck Yorke, co-author of the book All You Gotta Do Is Ask with Norm Bodek. The new book can be found here and is called “Yes Innovation: Everyday Improvement Everyday Leadership” The book…
Year 2007
Video: A (Definitely) Crazy (Allegedly) Chinese Press Operation
I don’t know the original source of this and I can’t vouch for its authenticity, but I can only assume this is a real example of conditions in a real Chinese factory. I guess you not only have cheap labor…
Another Lean Army Report
Digital50: USAEC News and more Business News Here’s another success story from the U.S. Army’s Lean Six Sigma program, increasing production to support troops in Iraq: “When the call came in to deliver the door kits we were experiencing production…
Wine Making and Waste Reduction
Two Buck Chuck still making waves – Yahoo! News Wine making is still a very non-level process… those darn grapes only ripen once a year! That’s not what this is about. Anyway, one item jumped out in this article about…
More Toyota Quality Problems
Toyota fixing engine failures in new Tundra truck – USATODAY.com It’s hard to tell if this level of quality defect is typical for a new model launch or not. Anyone in the auto industry care to share a perspective on…
LeanBlog Review: Toyota Talent
Toyota Talent is the third, and newest, book in the “Toyota Way” series: In this trilogy of books, each is very different and has its own unique place in the Lean literature. These books are unlike a series of novels,…
Medicare to Stop Paying for Rework
Hospital-borne ailments face Medicare budget ax | IndyStar.com Healthcare has LONG been a piecework industry. Caregivers and facilities are paid for WHAT they do and the services they provide. Doing more work gets you paid more, much the same way…
Focusing Only On Price Can Kill…
Chinese say U.S. shares blame in food scandal – USATODAY.com I’ve been tempted a few times to post about the pet deaths from contaminated pet food — the contaminated ingredients came from China. This article caught my eye last week:…
Freakonomics and Lean
Freakonomics: Official Site I know this wouldn’t count as “leisure reading” for many folks, but I’m reading (and very much enjoying) the book Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything. I’m a nerd, I read books like…
Dumb Design
Intelligent Design: Cellphones Are Kryptonite To Nissan’s I-Key – Consumerist I previously had trouble with my Prius key flying out at me (which I’ve gotten better with, it hasn’t flown out at me since I wrote that post). What I’ve…
Lean Blog and Long Term Thinking
Principle #1 of the Toyota Way says: Base your management decisions on a long-term philosophy, even at the expense of short-term financial goals. Back on April 14, I transitioned the Lean Blog from the old address of kanban.blogspot.com to my…
Mini Lean Carnival
Here’s a mini Lean carnival of some good posts from other blogs about Lean: Got Boondoggle? Lost in Translation Great story from Mike about someone going to the “Gumbo” (plus one other Lean buzzword butchered, funny stuff). Good lesson about…