Content by William A. Levinson
Just in Time Supports Inherently Safer Technology<em>In situ</em> generation of hazardous chemicals is safer and leaner than storage
Tue, 04/15/2014 - 17:56
In their article “Deconstructing Inherently Safe Technology,” authors Glenn Hess and Jeff Johnson warn of the risks that result from high inventories of hazardous chemicals, and cite four approaches to inherently safer technology (IST): 1. Minimize… Car Dealers: Government-Mandated Muda Any activity that doesn’t deliver value to the customer is, by definition, waste
Wed, 03/26/2014 - 10:46
Car dealers’ successful efforts to ban the sale of Tesla Motors cars in several states reinforces the growing belief that the Internet has turned dealers into nonvalue-adding parasites. This is something I said more than 20 years ago in The Way of… Raise Wages With Lean Manufacturing, Not LegislationReturn to business basics, and everyone will prosper
Wed, 02/19/2014 - 15:23
President Obama’s State of the Union address called for an increase in the federally mandated minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour. $7.25 an hour, or even $10.10 an hour, is an appallingly low wage for anybody in a modern industrialized… The Only Bad Publicity Is Poor QualityBeware the many faces of fascination
Mon, 01/06/2014 - 18:35
The adage that the only bad publicity is no publicity may apply to celebrities, but this article will show how the wrong kind of fascination can be enormously destructive to businesses that actually deliver products or services.
My last column, “… Propaganda, Fascination, and QualityIt takes only 10% of a group to influence the other 90%
Wed, 12/11/2013 - 12:49
Colonel Paul Linebarger, one of the world’s foremost authorities on psychological warfare, had this to say about propaganda: “Propaganda consists of the planned use of any form of communication designed to affect the minds, emotions, and action of a… Fast Food: Henry Ford vs. the SEIULose the <em>muda,</em> gain the wage
Tue, 09/10/2013 - 10:49
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is supporting strikes by fast-food workers who want $15 an hour. According to Workers’ World, “Most earn the federal minimum hourly wage of $7.25 or close to it. They are demanding that McDonald’s,… A Square Deal Is the Best Propaganda Actions are propaganda, and they speak far more strongly than words
Tue, 07/16/2013 - 09:28
Few quality professionals would want to hear somebody call their quality policies propaganda, but they are exactly that by definition. “Propaganda consists of the planned use of any form of communication designed to affect the minds, emotions, and… The da Vinci Tank: A Lean Manufacturing Perspective Tank, or a lethal assembly line?
Wed, 07/03/2013 - 14:59
Renaissance engineer and artist Leonardo da Vinci is well known as the intellectual father of the modern tank, submarine, and helicopter. He reputedly introduced a deliberate design flaw into his tank’s locomotion system because he never wanted… Henry Ford’s Universal CodeThe book with all the answers
Mon, 05/06/2013 - 12:55
Henry Ford’s My Life and Work is the bible of Aldous Huxley’s dystopian Brave New World, which is an excellent example of hiding something in plain view. The people in Huxley's story essentially worship Henry Ford, with the sign of the T (Model T)… Yahoo! vs. Henry FordWhen smoke signals replaced runners and messengers, we humans were on to a good thing
Mon, 04/22/2013 - 11:44
An article in the April 2013 edition of Quality Progress titled “Back to Work” reports that Yahoo! now requires employees who previously telecommuted to report to a Yahoo! office, or even relocate so they will be able to do so.
“To become the…
