January 2007 | Page 2 of 4

Toyota’s Real Secret: Hint, It’s Not TPS

By Ron - January 27th, 2007

Here is an interesting article from the folks at IndustryWeek. Enjoy.

The Forgotten M’s

By Ron - January 26th, 2007

Those familiar with lean manufacturing have likely heard the word muda many times. Muda is the Japanese word for waste and is the enemy of us all whether we know it or not. Strangely enough muda is not the only enemy of a lean system.

Kaizen of the Month at Gemba, December 2006

By Jon Miller - January 26th, 2007

By Marcie MacRae Going into the holidays and having the majority of the staff out of the office can be a good time to implement a big kaizen in the office. This year while the staff was on winter holidays, the admin team and two consul

CAVE People

By Ron - January 24th, 2007

Most of us have encountered individuals I call CAVE people. These people are: Citizens Against Virtually Everything You can likely name one or two CAVE people right away. In my experience there is no easy way to deal with them. They ar

Lean Manufacturing: A Five-Year Fix?

By Jon Miller - January 24th, 2007

On the way to the gemba this morning I heard the NPR report on American suit manufacturer Joseph Abboud on the rental car radio. Here is the transcript on the NPR website, titled Suit Maker Goes ‘Lean’ to Keep Jobs in U.S.

Japan Kaikaku Experience Field Report, January 2007

By Jon Miller - January 22nd, 2007

Recap of Our Recent Japan Kaikaku Experience-By Brad Schmidt Toyota’s Innovation: Toyota showcased an impressive update. They’ve introduced full kitting on specific sections of their assembly line. Kit carts follow the car

Cupholders

By Ron - January 22nd, 2007

In my recent Lean Lunch blog I referenced the Kano Model. I received some questions on what this model was all about so thought I would shed some light on it this evening. By the way, if there is a topic you would like me to discuss pl

Motorola misses Badly

By Ron - January 20th, 2007

I just read an article stating that Motorola, the #2 maker of cell phones in the world, is preparing to cut 3,500 jobs. Motorola reported a 48% drop in fourth-quarter profit as margins in its handset business collapsed. Folks, 48% is a

TPS Kids

By Jon Miller - January 20th, 2007

Modern marketing gurus will tell you that in order to build customer loyalty you need customers to develop a deep, emotional attachment to the brand. One of the ways this is done is by telling engaging stories about the brand. Toyota s

Lean Lunch

By Ron - January 19th, 2007

This is a picture of the taco salad I had for lunch today. OK, so “lean” in the truest sense may be a bit of an oxymoron since there was probably enough calories in this meal to last me a few days but I digress. Anyhow, I am always

Month: January 2007