The Fall and Rise of Automotive (and Healthcare) Quality Mark Graban Feb 13, 2012 3 Blog One of my favorite newspaper writers is Ed Wallace of my local Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Wallace appears in the…
Podcast #126 — Bob Lutz on “Car Guys vs. Bean Counters” Mark Graban Aug 9, 2011 6 Blog MP3 File (run time 17:50) - See transcript later in this post. My guest for Podcast #126 is Bob Lutz,!-->!-->!-->!-->!-->…
Questions about and Lessons from a Steering Wheel Falling Off Mark Graban Apr 12, 2011 2 Blog In the news yesterday, a General Motors recall over what could be just one isolated steering wheel problem in…
Invest in Robots or in People? Amazon Makes the Lean Decision Mark Graban Jan 17, 2011 6 Blog I'm finally blogging about a Wall Street Journal article from just before Christmas - it's still a generally…
A Sad Report from an M.D. Friend, Overprocessing Driven by the Legal System Mark Graban Nov 22, 2010 8 Blog As I blogged about on Friday, I was back at my alma mater, Northwestern, for a football game this weekend--…
Who Coined the Term “Lean”? And Where is He Today? Mark Graban Aug 30, 2010 14 Blog People often ask "So where did the term 'lean' come from?" It didn't come from Toyota. And the term isn't an…
Ford’s Resurgence Due to Less Blame-y Culture? Andy Wagner Mar 24, 2010 4 Blog Mark's note: It's great to welcome Andy Wagner back to the blog. Read his older posts here. General Motors,…
Detroidenfreude Mark Graban Feb 24, 2010 10 Blog Random thought related to those from the Big 3 Detroit 3 who are happy to see Toyota suffer, I think I'm coining a…
Meeting Newt Gingrich, a Lean Champion Mark Graban Dec 7, 2009 5 Blog I had a great opportunity a few weeks back, seeing former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich give a talk at the…
Lean as a Way to Save Manufacturing Featured on CNN Mark Graban Dec 3, 2009 8 Blog Hat tip to blog reader Steven H. for sending this video my way. It's always nice to see Lean featured in the…
LIFE Magazine August 1980 – Auto Manufacturing Mark Graban Jun 4, 2009 2 I ended up having the chance to flip through a LIFE magazine from August 1980 and, given that was also a major…
GM/UAW Jobs Bank or Wall Street? Mark Graban May 6, 2009 9 The infamous "Jobs Bank" was created in the 1980s to protect UAW members from job losses that would otherwise…
Funny Cartoon – Dinosaur Pot Calling the Kettle Black Mark Graban Apr 4, 2009 0 Respecting copyright, I'll just link to this funny cartoon from Nate Beeler. Maybe this is your Saturday…
Porsche’s Lean Culture and Leadership? Mark Graban Jan 28, 2009 2 Blog Europe businessman of the year: Wendelin Wiedeking - Jan. 27, 2009:It's nice to see Lean get such glowing praise in…
Gary Convis for "Car Czar" Mark Graban Dec 11, 2008 6 Blog No Detroiters Need Apply - Automotive NewsFirst off, I hate the whole "czar" term in our government. Ick.But if we…
Hyundai has a "Lean CEO" Mark Graban Nov 29, 2008 4 Blog Exec Shuffle: Hyundai Motor America Names Lean-Production Expert to Top PostI wonder how other automakers would do…
A Glimpse Back to 1995 Mark Graban Jan 3, 2008 1 Blog U.S. Big Three Trail Japan in Productivity - New York TimesSometimes, in the course of my reading and research, I…
Still Squeezing the Suppliers? Mark Graban Dec 4, 2007 0 Marketplace: Supplier gets dwindling sums for its partsThis story has been in the blog backlog, but it's always an…