By Jamie Flinchbaugh < The Hitchhiker's Guide to Lean > I’ve read my share of articles on lean, and its no wonder people are confused about what’s up and what’s down. Here’s the latest bit of confusion, from Australia: Lean:…
I won’t comment on this much, because I’m not an expert on the Chinese auto industry (I still buy U.S.-built cars). But The Great Race: China offers big challenges but huge opportunities offers a primer on the ins and outs…
Unless you subscribe to Superfactory, you probably haven’t noticed a nearly raging debate on the true contributions to “lean” and the Toyota Production System by one Dr. Shigeo Shingo. Here’s a little of the storyline. It basically comes down to…
In this Business Week column, the title is The Myth of Creativity. This takes a bold stance AGAINST creativity. Here is the central premise: The sobering truth is that the dramatic artistic creations or intellectual insights we most admire for…
Outsourcing continues to be a hot topic. It is especially true in Michigan, where the Governor’s race is heating up. It is the topic of the race. Incumbent Granholm is trying to woo Toyota into building an engine plant here…
Today’s Detroit News wrote about lean in healthcare, this time in their own beloved University of Michigan system. Titled “U-M Hospital Takes Page from Toyota,” it starts out with a flaw, stating: “U-M is one of the first medical centers…
Lean is about a journey, and it requires leadership. If you can not teach, you can not lead. On Father’s Day I mentioned the spirit of learning from our fathers important lessons on leadership. Although a little late, I thought…
From the June 26th edition of Business Week, The Welch Way by Jack and Suzy Welch was called Stop the B.S. Budget (need subscription to read). I probably will not get much argument from people on this: budgeting as it…
I’d like to wish all the fathers out there a happy Father’s Day. And if you’re not a father, then a happy Father’s Day to your father. Since leadership is a prime component of lean success, it belongs on this…
Issue #8 of Lean Progress is now available. You can download your copy now here: In it you will find an interview with Gary Smuda from Technicolor in the same format of interviews found in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to…
This article appeared in the May 31st issue of APICS extra. It featured yours truly and covers the topic of the five whys. You can learn more about APICS by visiting www.apics.org. Why Do You Ask? By Douglas R. Kelly…
by Jamie Flinchbaugh My monthly column Leading Lean for Assembly Magazine is now published. This month I focus on the staple of lean implementations, 5S, but I focus on what people are missing as they use this helpful, but often…
