Firms Race To Regain Control Over Inventories – WSJ.com With the dramatically slowing global economy, it’s no surprise that companies and supply chains are getting socked with excess inventories right now. The WSJ discussion very quickly turned to software: The…
On this blog, there have been several discussions and posts about jobs going overseas, not so much from a protectionist and politics standpoint, but more about the impact on your value stream. Is it shortsighted? Do our cost systems tell…
For now, Chad Johnson can’t wear Ocho Cinco Remember this story from last year? Another year, another NFL receiver, another Reebok “waste of inventory” story. “He’s legally changed his name, so we’re willing to recognize that,” [NFL Commissioner Roger] Goodell…
FT.com / Home UK / UK – Oil price forces P&G to rethink its distribution OK, I’m catching up on an old post since I saw a very similar story in the NY Times yesterday. First the FT story: There’s…
Stung by Soaring Transport Costs, Factories Bring Jobs Home Again – WSJ.com Lean thinkers have long advocated the benefits of having a shorter supply chain — faster response, keeping jobs at home, being close to the customer, and better quality.…
I stopped in at my local Starbucks on Sunday morning to get some coffee beans and saw an interesting sign. The signed advertised that the Pike Place Roast beans had been roasted on April 13, in Carson Valley, Nevada. I’m…
Time to pick on UPS again (see the “UPS” link at the bottom of the post)… Has anyone else seen the UPS “whiteboard” ad (the ones with the annoying long-haired business-casual corporate hippie guy) that’s running during almost every NCAA…
Marketplace: Supplier gets dwindling sums for its parts This story has been in the blog backlog, but it’s always an important topic, the idea of not just squeezing your suppliers on price. It’s not a good idea to just demand…
Flightblogger: Temporary Fasteners Causing Major Problems for 787 Program Ok, so Boeing isn’t using duct tape in their efforts to cobble together the first Dreamliner plane. But, this blog report I’ve linked to says they were using: “… over-the-counter parts…
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…
Big pieces of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner arrive | Seattle Times Newspaper This is really Kevin Meyer’s issue at Evolving Excellence, but I can’t resist blogging about this myself. Boeing is often hailed as a Lean company (or at least they…
For some context, here are my complaints about UPS ads from earlier today and from last year. Thanks to the “create your own whiteboard” feature on the UPS website, I created this Lean Message. Check it out: Click this link…