In my recent podcast with Ritsuo Shingo, one topic was the history of the acronym “SMED” — it stands for “Single-Minute Exchange of Die,” referring to how long it takes to do a “die change” on a machine like a…
I had a chance to go back to the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas (TMMTX) plant in south San Antonio last week with a group of executive education students at Trinity University. I first visited the plant back in 2010 and…
Changeover.com You might be surprised to see that phrase. Say “no” to quick changeover?? That’s a core method in the Toyota Production System, right? Well, a method called “SMED” or “Single Minute Exchange of Dies” is. Why the distinction in…
Here’s a follow up to my earlier post on 5S not being about neatness (or for neatness’ sake). A reader submitted this anonymous comment that’s worth highlighting: Our plant has started a 5S program that is very counter productive. Tools…
Sean Michael’s World: Lean Diaper Changing This isn’t from first-hand experience, believe me. Here’s a post that linked to me from the blog that’s tracking a baby who was born just two weeks ago. Dad is a Six Sigma black…
Juggling act sets up rink Even though I’m still a pretty die hard Red Wings fan, I live in Stars country now. Don’t ask me what I’ll do if the Wings and Stars meet in the second round. I went…
By Dean Bliss (bio below) At the recent Shingo Prize conference, I was reminded of the power of Lean. Not just because of the award winners, but because of a humble dentist who practices in Jacksonville, Florida. And who practices…
Mark’s Note: After some of my adventures in blogging about lean in aerospace, I got a volunteer to add some perspectives from that industry. Thanks to Andy for joining up and I look forward to his contributions. Click on his…
By Bill Hanover, ThroughPut Solutions With seven children and two adults all living in the same house we have found that applying a little Lean here and there has made our lives together a lot more enjoyable. Our laundry room…
WSJ.com – Requires Subscription: I love using Nascar examples for lean training — quick changeover (external setup and pit stops), visual controls (the gauges on the dash all point straight up when things are right), and here is a standard…