All posts from Mark Graban’s LeanBlog.org, including podcasts, announcements, articles, and more.
I got a question from a reader and Theory of Constraints fan: “One of the topics that I’m struggling with is the relationship between Kaizen and TOC. When Norman Bodek talks about the savings people have gotten through Kaizen, does…
I heard an interesting quote a while back (and I can’t remember the source!). The speaker said something to the effect of: “The more we try to copy Toyota, the less Toyota-like we are becoming.” In my Lean career, I’ve…
Employee’s suit: Company used waterboarding to motivate workers – Salt Lake TribuneThis isn’t a “Lean” article, but holy moley, you have to read the linked story and think about how a company culture gets that far off the rails. First…
Here is Part 3 of my exchange with Slava Boltrukevich, from Moscow. Here are Part 1 and Part 2 of our discussion about Lean in Russia. Mark: Is there a “James Womack of Russia” or do people there tend to…
Appleton Post-Crescent: Little Chute company sees a sharp future Here’s another story about a small company in Wisconsin — they’re using Lean to get more competitive. Valley Grinding & Manufacturing (nicknamed “VG”) makes equipment that’s used to sharpen blades and…
Sometimes people ask me, “how does Lean apply in a hospital?” The critical issues in a hospital are more often about culture and environment (although using technical lean methods for improving processes and flow are important also). Many hospitals, unfortunately,…
I just realized I was too busy to stop and recognize the “birthday” of the Lean Blog, as we turned “3” in March. I’m proud of the blog and very grateful for the constructive and friendly community that we have…
They say “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but I hope you like the cover that my publisher and I have come up with. I was pretty steadfast that Lean is about people and the cover should reflect that.…
Here is the second part of my exchange with Slava Boltrukevich. He is the head of the Production Management Department at the Institute for Complex Strategic Studies, the leading publisher of Lean books in Russian (and the website is in…
Why do many of our best companies move to China or other countries? Some do it for the lower labor rates, but just as many move because they can’t find skilled labor, engineers and other resources here in the U.S.…
Chinese Refrigerator Maker Finds U.S. Chilly – WSJ.com: Here’s another case of where your bosses should NOT take manufacturing management practices from the WSJ. In an article about the Chinese refrigerator maker Haier and its founder, Zhang Ruimin: “He developed…
Carter streamlines production – Fort Worth Business Press I had a chance, last year, to take some local hospital clients to Carter to see their blood processing operations. So, it’s nice to see them recognized for their Lean efforts. It…
