All posts from Mark Graban’s LeanBlog.org, including podcasts, announcements, articles, and more.
Business 2.0 – Magazine Article An article from January worth repeating… an interview with Toyota’s CEO. The company was named “Smartest Company of 2004” by the magazine. If you click on the link, there are some related articles about Toyota…
The New York Times (registration required) Chinese factories no longer have to hire security guards to keep the job applicants away? This article says “no one thinks China is running out of workers”, but it sounds like conditions are changing.…
WSJ.com (registration required) Not really “new” news, but an article that discusses Boeing and Airbus “copying” Toyota. Interesting quote:“We always thought airplanes were different because they had four million parts,” says Alan Mulally, head of Boeing’s commercial aircraft division, compared…
Detroit Free Press The article doesn’t say directly that Steelcase is cutting jobs “because of” lean manufacturing, but it seems hard not to draw that relationship. If the company is cutting jobs in the midst of a lean effort, that…
JS Online Nice case studies of older midwestern companies fighting Chinese competition with lean manufacturing, in some cases bringing work back from overseas. Staying close to the customer and being responsive is key. Please check out my main blog page…
The Hindu Business Line Interesting to read that China is supposed spending time and effort on lean training. I assumed that China factories were not “lean” because labor was so cheap – but this sure would make the competitive threat…
OK, so this isn’t strictly a standard work document, but this is an overview of the Lean Blog. I did update it on 7/19/05, though, in the spirit of continuous improvement. Updated 5/15/18 1) I run this blog strictly as…
Masaaki Imai interview! Masaaki Imai comments on the need to convert from batch to JIT and China ‘productivity’, among other topics. One highlight: “Kaizen is the means to achieve a corporate strategy, not the strategy. Every corporation needs to make…
Press Release Looks like great work by the Boeing 737 team! “We’re not going to stop at a 50 percent reduction, but improving our production system isn’t just about doing things fast. It’s about doing everything better, continuously enhancing the…
Business 2.0 – Magazine Article Improve. This was in a magazine that hit my mailbox yesterday, an interview with Toyota’s CEO. The company was named “Smartest Company of 2004” by the magazine. If you click on the link, there are…
(United Press International): “‘The initial budget came back from OMB … at zero.” The Manufacturing Extension Partnership is being threatened with budget cuts again (almost an annual event). The MEP offices around the country provide lean training and consulting, particularly…
The New York Times > Business > Decline in Sales Sends Mitsubishi Motors on a Search for Financing A look into Japan’s approach to company bailouts — similar to what we’ve seen here with airlines and some manufacturers. Is it…