SignsWork standards, or mental clutter?
Mon, 02/13/2012 - 10:33
Do you remember a post-hippie-era song called “Signs?” The song’s refrain came to mind recently during a workplace walkthrough.
“Sign, sign, everywhere a sign Blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the… Cost Subtraction Find it through many small improvements
Wed, 02/01/2012 - 11:57
Last week, a drive by a 99¢ Store (see photo) reminded me of my first real job in an industrial marketing department. During the 1970s, one function of this department was to set prices, a task simplified in the early going by the market’s… 5S First?Always do what you <em>should</em> do, not what you <em>can</em> do
Mon, 01/16/2012 - 12:20
Some time ago, while speaking at a conference in the land down under, I was taken to task by a participant for suggesting, “5S is usually the first improvement” in lean implementation. I had carelessly adopted this posture because, as a consultant,… Standards, Part 1To help doctors accept standardization, play some blues
Fri, 12/09/2011 - 12:36
I attended a gathering of health care providers recently to participate in a site review and listen to some nice Toyota Production System (TPS) success stories. During a Q&A session at the conclusion of the review, this question came from one… The Ear of the BeholderConfusion arises when we fear what we think we hear
Mon, 11/21/2011 - 16:20
A short time after I moved into operations as the vice president of manufacturing, our assembly department made an early and, dare I say, imperfect attempt to realign the factory floor for ease-of-material delivery and pick up. I would not… Waitin’How much of your life is spent in batch and queue?
Wed, 10/26/2011 - 10:08
I’ve just returned from a brief sojourn that included:1. Marrying off my older daughter, Christine, in Disneyworld, followed by
2. A short vacation for our younger kids, and then,
3. A short illness and trip to the hospital for me.
No… How Big Are Small Ideas?They’re small only in their difficulty to implement
Fri, 09/23/2011 - 11:26
In 1985, when I transferred to an operations role, I inherited a production-only suggestion program. I recall that we received 16 ideas that year, of which one was awarded $1,600 calculated as a percentage of one year’s savings. The remaining… Dr. Shingo’s Last VisitA dinner to remember
Tue, 09/06/2011 - 11:45
In April 1989, the first Shingo Prize for Manufacturing Excellence had just been awarded at Utah State University. Shigeo Shingo was on hand at this auspicious event to receive an honorary doctoral degree from the university and also to bestow… Moving Mountains: It's About Employee InvolvementLose the dynamite, pick up a shovel
Mon, 08/29/2011 - 11:55
I was listening to Alan Robinson present recently at the Lean Systems Summit about the power of “small ideas.” Alan wondered aloud why so many organizations continue to pursue the few million-dollar ideas while small ideas account for more than… Too Big to Succeed?Small businesses have a distinct advantage over large ones: practicality
Wed, 07/27/2011 - 06:00
It’s now been about four years since the Dow began its precipitous decline, and about three since the invention of the expression “too big to fail” entered our lexicon. Two years ago, the U.S. Treasury became a majority stockholder in another…
