By Dan Markovitz BusinessWeek online joined the rest of the media in noting that Toyota just passed GM as the global leader in auto sales this quarter. The article covers all the usual points, and to its credit, does add…
Toyota topples GM as global sales leader – USATODAY.com It’s been long expected, but the day is finally here: Toyota is now the global sales volume leader: Toyota Motor sold more cars and trucks worldwide than General Motors in the…
BeliefWatch: God Is Green – Newsweek Beliefs – MSNBC.com This article struck me today, not exactly like a lightning bolt from the sky, but it struck me. The Newsweek article talks about a growing movement among a number of churches,…
Are We Creating Problems By Design?: Beyond Blinking Lights and Acronyms Mike Schaffner’s “Beyond Blinking Lights and Acronyms” blog linked to my complaining about the lack of root cause problem solving during a tech support call. I proposed that the…
Driving on the wrong side of the road — the myth of Japanese efficiency in car manufacturing A new book is out attacking Lean. Or maybe the book is actually attacking “L.A.M.E.”, or “Lean as Misguidedly Executed” at Rover. This…
I really dislike motivational posters, particularly those meant to inspire quality. I guess it comes from the early Deming training/indoctrination and having been around too many environments where Quality meant a poster that said “Quality is YOUR Responsibility.” Posters are…
Modern Healthcare Online (article available to subscribers only, March 12, 2007 Issue) I think it’s been true in the manufacturing world that quality certifications, such as ISO-9001, aren’t necessarily predictors of world-class quality. I’ve seen it be far too easy…
American LED-gible Products I’d like to welcome American LED-gible (www.ledgible.com) as a sponsor on the Lean Blog. About the company: American LED-gible Incorporated has been in business since 1976 providing process control solutions for the workplace. We are a small,…
Ironically enough, the drummers in this photo are out of step. One is forward with the left foot, one is forward with the right. As a drummer and former marching band member (8 years in high school and college), it’s…
My main point here I think is “Tech Support should NOT be part of the normal process.” I needed to register for an internal company tech support website (for teleconference support) and was trying to log in to the website.…
Episode #22 of the Podcast is a discussion with Allan Wilson, CEO of Factory Logic, a software company that was acquired by SAP late last year. Allan is now the VP of Lean Manufacturing Operations for SAP. We talk about…
Since I’ve been working exclusively in healthcare for almost two years, I haven’t been in too many factories lately. I was excited to get an invitation from the local Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) chapter to tour a local factory.…