Podcast #311 – Jess Orr, #Lean Leadership Lessons from Toyota and Beyond
My guest for Episode 311 is Jess Orr, a continuous improvement practitioner at WestRock, a large paper and…
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Factory Examples
How 200 Jobs Were Saved by Engaging Employees in Continuous Improvement
Mark's Note: Today's post is the first guest post by Jess Orr, who you might remember from the webinars that she…
Improving Thanksgiving Dinner Operations
It's almost Thanksgiving here in the United States, so I'll be taking the rest of the week off from the blog to…
Why It’s OK That This Suggestion Box Was Full of Cobwebs
As I guy who started his career in manufacturing before moving to healthcare in 2005, I don't get many…
The Biggest “Bang for Your Lean Buck?” Respecting Your People
Mark's note: Today's post is a guest contribution from Paul Critchley. Check out his previous posts here.
As…
“Practicing Lean” Excerpt from a New Chapter – Bob Rush from…
Chapter 8 is written by Bob Rush, who currently works as a Lean Manufacturing Group Leader at Tesla Motors. Tesla,…
Podcast #234 – Mitch Cahn, President of Unionwear on #Lean Manufacturing
Today’s guest is Mitch Cahn, president of Unionwear, a manufacturer of hats, bags, and apparel in Newark, NJ. I…
Going Cheap Vs. Leading and Being Lean
I've worked with a lot of companies whose primary operational strategy boils down to "cut costs". Others on Mark's…
Donald Trump’s Red Hat (and Other Politicians’ Hats) Brought to You by…
These Donald Trump hats (and hats for other candidates including Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush) are made by a Newark…
Throwback Thursday: #Lean Equipment and a Lean Layout Isn’t Enough
Going through some old files, I found an article that I wrote back in late 2005. I wrote it for somebody within our…
Captain Jack’s Cannonball Polish – Buy One, Get Two Free!
Mark's note: Today's post is by Paul Critchley and he raises important questions that I've seen in both factories…
Why is There a Scrap of Paper with “5S = Failure Pls address” on My…
Mark's Note: Today's guest post is by Paul Critchley and while it shares a story from a manufacturing company, I…
Looking for a Manufacturing-Focused Lean Blogger to Join the Team
I've been blogging since early 2005. After 10 years in manufacturing, I transitioned into healthcare in August 2005…
Throwback Thursday – What Did a Mid 1990s Textbook Say About Lean?
My friend Ryan, who works at a hospital in Canada, sent me a few pictures of an Industrial Engineering textbook…
Why is the Hawthorne Effect Nothing to Brag About or Hope For?
Forgive me for being a bit of an Industrial Engineering geek here in this post. After all, my bachelor's degree is…
What’s Interesting About This Toyota Executive Rising from the Factory Floor
I hope you might have access to this interesting article from the Wall St. Journal: "Toyota Veteran Rises to…
Lean Factories and Lean Hospitals Are Safer and They’re Better Listeners
When we introduce the idea of Lean to healthcare organizations, it's very common for somebody (often a senior…
#ThrowbackThursday: #Lean Manufacturing Training from 2002
It's time for another "Throwback Thursday" post, which is, as always, accompanied by one of my thoughtful-looking…