Iowa and Lean, Once Again
Making Iowa more business friendly a goal for lawmakers Iowa sure pops up quite a bit in the lean news, between Maytag and Pella, and Gov. Tom Vilsack’s promotion of lean. In this case, the Governor is trying to help…
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Union ignorance of Toyota
Toyota considers West Michigan plant; UAW not pleased — WWMT – Digital Channel 3 You’d think a new auto plant in Michigan, any plant, would be cause of celebration. Not for this UAW member. The article says one reason the…
Instead of raising stamp rates, the USPS should cut costs
csmonitor.com I agree with this writer, in principle, that the United States Postal Service should look to cut costs before increasing postal rates (it’s up from 37 cents to 39 cents today). The writer lists a number of ways to…
GM Thinks They Will Remain #1?
GM: NOT SO FAST, TOYOTA: A global sales surge keeps us ahead, Wagoner reports (Detroit Free Press) Rick Wagoner points out that GM’s sales growth outside the U.S. (selling more cars outside than inside the U.S. for the first time…
As Japan’s Elderly Ranks Swell, Toyota Sees New Path to Growth
Free version of article Wednesday’s Wall St. Journal front page had quite a contrast. Next to an article about how GM is struggling, there was a glowing profile about how Toyota is using their technology to develop new innovative products…
NY Times, USA Today, and NPR Report on Toyota
1 — ‘Slow and steady’ drives Toyota’s growth – (USA Today) 2 — Toyota Closes In on G.M. (NY Times, requires free registration) 3 — Toyota Powers Ahead at Kentucky Plant (NPR) This is probably my final post until next…
Not All Japanese Have The Right Idea Like Toyota
Evolving Excellence Blog: : I Don’t Speak Japanese Another provocative post from Bill Waddell and the Evolving Excellence blog. I’d like to amplify his point that Japanese management guru Kenichi Ohmae was off base in his comments: “Indians are not…
Your Mission as Change Agent
By Mark Edmondson As a lean professional, here are two facts you already know about you and your company: 1. Over 95% of your body mass consists of water. 2. Over 95% of your company’s activities consist of waste. Yet,…
Accelerating the Pace of Learning
Just-Auto.com reported today that next year Toyota will open a Global Production Centre in the UK to train European workers. There is already a centre in Japan that opened 2 years ago, and another is scheduled to open next year…
A Frustrated Lean Guy, You Have to Read This
My friend and his former company have to remain anonymous, but I really laughed (although this isn’t ha-ha funny, I really empathize with him) when I saw his updated profile on one of the online networking sites. It describes his…
Kitchen Lean: Standardized Oatmeal?
I’m often challenged by people (including my wife sometimes), “why don’t you apply lean concepts at home, Mr. Lean?” I haven’t shadowed my kitchen items (that would look bad), but I do apply some general 5S concepts, including keeping most…
Some Things Never Change, and GM Is One of Them: Doron Levin
Bloomberg.com: Bloomberg Columnists The writers continue to pile on GM. I know Doron Levin has been covering the auto industry in Detroit for a long time. Some highlights: The pre-holiday bombshell dropped Nov. 21 by Rick Wagoner, General Motors Corp.…