MercuryNews.com | 06/04/2006 | Toyota N. America marks a milestone Here is another article about Toyota’s Jim Press, who along with Gary Convis, represents Americans rising high within Toyota’s corporate structure. Later this month, Jim Press will become the first…
CEOs say how you treat a waiter can predict a lot about character I bet there is a corollary, I’ll propose it: “Blogger says how CEO’s treat hourly assembly personnel can predict a lot about lean success.” I agree with…
Hardwiring Excellence by Quint Studer As I continue my journey in lean healthcare, I’m enjoying the chance to learn about the cultures of healthcare organizations. One book I’ve started reading could easily apply to lean efforts in any setting. The…
So here’s a palate cleanser after talking about GM and the failed “lean” efforts that led to a strike at Conn-Selmer (see below). Here are two positive stories that prove lean doesn’t lean to unhappy workers and strikes. One is…
Battle Creek Enquirer – www.battlecreekenquirer.com Here is an outstanding profile of Gary Convis, the President of the Toyota Georgetown (KY) plant and the highest-ranking American executive in the company. I’ve written about Convis before and have seen him speak at…
Detroit Free Press This is significant, in addition to an American, Gary Convis, running the Georgetown plant in Kentucky. “It’s not coincidental when Toyota is finally trumpeting its presence in American culture, claiming to be as American as any of…
Autofieldguide.com Here is a very long article (set of articles, really) on Toyota and TPS. It includes thoughts from Taiichi Ohno, Fujio Cho, and Gary Convis. I had previously heard that the phrase “Toyota Production System” itself wasn’t created until…
No. Toyota’s factories do not run a formal Six Sigma program, and they do not hand out belts. What Toyota does teach, broadly and without much ceremony, is basic quality control and statistical thinking, the kind of tools that predate…
