Born in Japan made in USA – 05/30/06 – The Detroit News Online: Here is an article about Toyota’s Fujio Cho. I don’t take the view of another blog, which calls Toyota “racist” for having an solely Japanese board. I’m…
by Jamie Flinchbaugh Any growth story is eventually met wth an industry wide waste of overproduction, or glut of capacity. When this happens, plants have to shutter, jobs are lost and there is tremendous upheavel and angst in dealing with…
Over Memorial Day weekend, my wife and I visited Baltimore and Washington DC. As much as I try to “turn off” that lean part of my brain, it’s tough when historical items jump out that remind me of lean. Here…
I’m about to sign off for the Memorial Day weekend, visiting Washington DC, which seems like a moving time to visit. Best wishes to all, particularly any military veterans reading the blog. Thanks for your service. I presented at a…
I saw this while researching a vacation. This website has given the user the time saving option of “most popular cities” to avoid you having to type the city name. When asking people for data (customers, suppliers, employees), do you…
Event Registration (EVENT: 22786)Here is the archive of the Industry Week webcast from last week featuring Jeff Liker, author of The Toyota Way. You have to register through Industry Week, but they will let you download the slides. “Siren Song”…
globeandmail.com : KODIAK COMES HOME At first glance, this looks like a heartwarming story of a Canadian manufacturer that “came home” after bouncing around different Asian countries most of the past decade. “For the first time in six years, Kodiak…
Honda plans new Midwest auto plant More on Honda. Interesting strategy here. Where most companies try to be cheap and hire the lowest-cost employees possible, Honda is looking to do the opposite, in a way: “David Cole, president of the…
Much has been written and talked about over the last two years about the “human side of lean” and the “respect for people” pillar of TPS. Only through our own failings, my colleagues and I learned the hard way that…
Independent Online Edition > Business News Dell has been on the bad side of Wall Street for a while now, the stock is some 30% lower than it was in 1999. I might comment more later on Dell’s troubles, there…
WSJ.com – Airports Start to Feel the Sting Of Airline Cost-Cutting Efforts Fat airports? No, I’m not talking about the fast food concessions you find in most airports. This article discusses the conflict of styles in airport design. One approach,…
WSJ.com – Great Divide: CEO and Worker Pay I’ve never been a fan of Garrison Keiler, but I’m reminded of his famous quote: “Welcome to Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all…