Roger Smith, Former G.M. Chief, Dies – New York Times Roger Smith passed away at age 82. While he was demonized by Michael Moore and he’s been criticized here for his “lights out factory” vision, Roger Smith tried many innovative…
As I thought about this post earlier, with the employee quote about being beaten down, I had a flashback to my time at GM, circa 1996. While we were in the midst of trying to implement Toyota methods, with the…
I’ve mentioned this book before, coming out Nov 1, it’s called How Toyota Became #1: Leadership Lessons from the World’s Greatest Car Company. I had the exciting chance to have dinner tonight with the author, David Magee. I have, in…
A poignant story showed up in the Washington Post during the recent GM strike that hits at the heart of the principle of respect for people. It came from the Saturn plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee. Management, required to work…
Deal helps GM narrow labor cost gap: I’m not going to spend too much time reading about or writing about the strike, since it’s not really a Lean issue. From the Detroit News: “But the new contract can only do…
Detroit News Article I’m too far removed anymore and I’m not sure if there’s really a Lean story in any of this mess. Does anyone care to comment? My questions: When the news just focuses on the “cheap labor costs…
Detroit Free Press Forums In my previous post, I questioned if GM was teaching true “Standard Work” to reporters who came to their training center in Lansing. My cynicism may have gotten the best of me, as it seemed, from…
GM teaches writers to build it right each time Updated: GM *does* do some kaizen in the class What we call Lean or TPS, they call “GMS”: General Motors Corp. touts its global manufacturing system as the reason it’s been…
Detroit News Article GM, Ford, and Chrysler are frequent targets here for their “beat up the suppliers” approach to supply chain management. Here’s some encouraging news for GM (and for their suppliers)… not such good news for Ford General Motors…
In this Lean Blog Podcast episode, Jim Womack reflects on GM, Ford, and Toyota through the lens of Lean thinking–past, present, and future. He explains how Lean was coined at MIT, why it became misunderstood, and what leaders still get…
NPR : Reasons for GM Slide Go Beyond Work Force Honestly, I’d expect more from liberal NPR and their headline. You’d expect NPR to be the friend of the UAW “working man” (or woman), but I don’t appreciate how their…
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…