See? Lean is About Flexibility, Not Low Inventory
It's great to see examples of manufacturing companies being flexible and adaptive in these challenging times. Lean…
Browsing Tag
Just-In-Time
Covid-19: Don’t Blame Toyota or “Just in Time” for Your Risky…
I normally love the public radio program "Marketplace" and have listened to it (on radio or as a podcast) for 15…
A Toyota Leader on Misunderstandings About the Toyota Production System
Thanks to Pablo Alvarez Flores, who posted this video on LinkedIn with an invitation for me to share my comments…
What’s Going on at Whole Foods? It Doesn’t Sound Like #Lean
The chain Whole Foods is reportedly having inventory shortages and morale problems. It sounds like a real mess, but…
The WSJ Overgeneralizes about The “Japanese Model,” Not All Companies…
Not all Japanese companies are the same. "Lean isn't easy" if you're a Japanese company. Toyota has created…
A Lean Guy Reads & Reviews “Henry Ford’s Lean Vision”
I'm a car guy. Above all other mechanical devices that we engineers get to be involved with, I am fascinated most…
Toyota’s Japan Shutdown & Lessons for Hospitals (and Others)
I wrote a new piece for LinkedIn that I hope would be of interest to you even if you’re in healthcare. Why? It’s a…
Want to be Lean? Better Bring Your Fish Finder!
Mark's note: Today's guest post is by Paul Critchley and he brings up important points about not reducing inventory…
So-Called “Just in Time” Retail Staff Scheduling is not #Lean At All
Stories like this have been in the news before, but this was circulating the past few days: "Why erratic schedules…
Would the WSJ Blame “Just in Time” for the Stanley Cup Being Late?
The Wall St Journal loves writing about how "Just In Time" (JIT) is a risky inventory strategy. See my past posts…
Is Your Lean Journey Being Embraced With “Open Arms?” Are you…
The phrase "Lean journey" is used widely to describe an organization's transformation over time. It's either a…
My Visit to the Toyota Tsutsumi Plant, Part 1
I've been overdue in writing more posts about our Japan tour that took place two months ago now. See previous posts…
Run Fast if You Ever Hear This Phrase from a “Lean Six Sigma”…
I sometimes torture myself by watching webinars given about "Lean Sigma." I hear a lot of claptrap about Lean...…
Toyota’s Blog on Pillars of the Toyota Production System & Lean
I didn't know , until yesterday, that Toyota has an official company blog (at least for Toyota UK).
Even…
Good Questions, But With Some Misunderstandings about Lean Healthcare
In 2009, I wrote about a nurses' union in New Brunswick that supported Lean because they realized this methodology…
“The Economist” Magazine Highlights a Lean Hospital in Sweden
I was fortunate to have the chance to speak and visit at a few hospitals in Sweden back in February, 2010 (see my…
Toyota Brings TPS & The Toyota Way to India – The Same Familiar…
Here's a fascinating article: "How Toyota brought its famed manufacturing method to India."
The piece starts…
A Small Batch of Bread, Other Random Japan Pictures
I'm on my way home from Japan as this post gets published. I will probably take the week off from blogging for the…