I was asked about 15 years ago to give a short presentation about poka-yoke to an association of engineering professors from different U.S. universities. I brought with me several devices that employees from my plant had developed, and I began to tell the story: The technique is not so difficult, but creating an environment in which employees are comfortable surfacing these opportunities is challenging. Poka-yoke, the invention of Shigeo Shingo, is one of my favorite tools because more than any other it taps employee creativity and problem-solving talent.

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