December 2008 | Gemba Academy

The Kaizen Blitz!

By Ron Pereira - December 31st, 2008

Enjoy and Happy New Year all!

This is a new HP C7250 printer we purchased a few weeks ago. It’s quite the desktop machine, with built in copier-scanner. Setting up the wireless was a skosh frustrating but all in all a great product. While installing the ink c

Yaruki: The Will to Win Even in Tough Times

By Jon Miller - December 28th, 2008

RC Bhargava, the Chairman, Maruti Suzuki India recounts the story of Maruti Suzuki and how the company overcame several challenges over the past decades by building a team-based management culture. In an India Times article titled Thin

Let’s Do Kaizen, Not Kaizan

By Jon Miller - December 23rd, 2008

It doesn’t really matter how you pronounce the Japanese word for continuous improvement through total involvement and a focus on the elimination of waste, variability and overburden. The word is kaizen, but you can call it kaizan

Full Court Press Time

By Ron Pereira - December 21st, 2008

“The heights by great men reached and kept, were not obtained by sudden flight. But they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.” — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Things are going to slow down f

Answers to Lean Thinking Crossword Puzzle #1

By Jon Miller - December 20th, 2008

Spoiler alert! The answers to Lean Thinking Crossword Puzzle #1 are below. Here are the questions. Seven down is a bit of a pun, with the American spelling of cheque. Across 1. A pillar creates this between man and machine 2. Absolutel

Lean Thinking Crossword Puzzle #1

By Jon Miller - December 19th, 2008

Here is a quiz we used as a review of lean knowledge for the team on the Gemba tour at the end of the week. Some of these are easy and others are tricky. If you figure it out go ahead and put the answers in the comments section. To

Seek and Destroy (Muda)

By Ron Pereira - December 18th, 2008

(electric guitar plays) Alright! Scanning the scene in the city tonight We’re looking for you to start up a fight There’s an evil feeling in our brains But it’s nothing new you know it drives us insane. Back in the Da

Field Report from Gemba Tour #62, Part 4

By Jon Miller - December 18th, 2008

Today was day-long visit to a company who is 13 years on their lean journey. The many valuable points of learning were a mixed bag of lean principles, practical advice and seeing systems in action. We saw many world class examples of l

Field Report from Gemba Tour #62, Part 3

By Jon Miller - December 17th, 2008

Today was the Toyota plant tour day of our Japan Kaikaku Experience #62. I noticed a lot more things made of Creform, both inside and outside of the factory. Outside there was a bizarre blue trellis for vines to grow on, a conspicuous

Month: December 2008