Ron Pereira, Author at Gemba Academy

Ron Pereira

Ron has more than 20 years of experience in various manufacturing, supply chain, and senior leadership roles. Ron has held the titles of process engineer, engineering manager, master black belt, and director of manufacturing & continuous improvement. In 2002 Ron was the first American to win the Nokia Global Six Sigma and Overall Quality award in Helsinki, Finland. Ron holds a bachelor's degree in automated manufacturing and an MBA in technology management.

759 Articles

Respect for People: Japanese Style

By Ron Pereira - March 18th, 2008

During my recent travels through Japan I was paying close attention to the words and actions of the Japanese leaders we met. One of my trip goals was to gain a better understanding of how the Japanese practiced the concept of “respec

How you can help a child in need

By Ron Pereira - March 17th, 2008

My friend, and fellow blogger, Mark Graban of the Lean Blog is asking us to help a child in need. Specifically, he has a launched a virtual toy drive for children staying in a hospital. I don’t ask much of my blog readers ̵

Toyota: 97% Efficient

By Ron Pereira - March 16th, 2008

Sitting on an airplane for 12 hours and dealing with a 14 hour time difference will definitely take it out of a person. But after a day of rest (if playing and chasing my 3 kids can be called rest) I am beginning to feel a little mor

JKE Update: Reflection and 122 Degree Sand!

By Ron Pereira - March 14th, 2008

The final exam for those of us on the Japanese Kaikaku Experience was like none other I have ever taken. We were buried in 122 degree Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius) sand and asked to recite the 10 kaizen commandments wearing nothing b

JKE Update: One Million Spark Plugs per Day

By Ron Pereira - March 13th, 2008

Today, on day 4 of my Japanese Kaikaku Experience, we visited the NGK spark plug factory where they produce approximately 1.1 million spark plugs per day. On our first day Brad, our guide, told us to focus on the good. He challenged

JKE Update: Information Overload

By Ron Pereira - March 12th, 2008

Hello from Kagoshima, Japan. Last night we stayed in a traditional Japanese style hotel. It was an experience to say the least! As cool as it was, Internet connection was not part of their offering… so I am a little behind

JKE Day 1: Harmony and Toyota

By Ron Pereira - March 10th, 2008

Awesome. That’s how day 1 of my Japanese Kaikaku experience turned out. I am not even sure where to start or what to say. My mind is so full… and I have 4 more days to go! Big Harmony After breakfast we began our day

I’m Leaving on a Jet Plane!

By Ron Pereira - March 6th, 2008

It seems like only yesterday I first announced I was headed to Japan. Well, time definitely flies. This Saturday I am headed East to visit the best of the best as I join Gemba Research on their Japanese Kaikaku Experience. It̵

Brett Favre – Greatest Ever?

By Ron Pereira - March 5th, 2008

“No data have meaning apart from their context.” – Donald Wheeler Unless you live under a rock (or perhaps outside of the USA) you have likely heard that Brett Favre has decided to retire from the NFL. Like him or not

Free iSixSigma Salary Webcast

By Ron Pereira - March 3rd, 2008

Our friend Michael Marx over at iSixSigma will be hosting a free webcast Tuesday, March 4 at 11:00 AM EST. As of this morning, more than 850 people had already registered for the event. Here are the details of the event. Mark your

Introducing the Kaizen Newspaper

By Ron Pereira - March 2nd, 2008

This evening we conclude our series on value stream mapping. We have covered lots of ground. If you are just joining us, no worries, you can catch up by reading the following articles. Value Stream Mapping Overview How to Create a

Revisiting “Why Flow Counter Clockwise?”

By Ron Pereira - February 29th, 2008

I don’t normally do this, but I’d like to revisit a past article I wrote about why u-shaped cells often flow counter-clockwise. Specifically, I’d like to share an excellent comment from Bryan Lund of Training Withi

Lean Blog Update

By Ron Pereira - February 28th, 2008

Our friend, Mark, over at the Lean Blog is battling some technical difficulties. He is working hard to fix things.

The Time of Fulfillment

By Ron Pereira - February 28th, 2008

The word metanoia literally means the changing of one’s mind through repentance. Spiritual Life In the theological sense, metanoia occurs when a person examines their life and decides to turn away from sin and towards God. Often time

Let’s Create a Future State Value Stream Map!

By Ron Pereira - February 26th, 2008

Let’s continue with our value stream mapping (VSM) series this evening by discussing the future state VSM. If you are just joining us, please feel free to read the previous articles before jumping into this one. Value Stream Mapping

The Real Leader

By Ron Pereira - February 25th, 2008

My sister Denise recently sent me this quote. “He has genuine integrity, he has serious style, and he’s pulled me through more than one bout of the stomach flu. Anybody can sprinkle rose petals across a big brass bed, but o

Let’s Create a Current State Value Stream Map!

By Ron Pereira - February 24th, 2008

In this third installment of our value stream mapping series, we will discuss how to create a current state value stream map. If you missed the other articles in this series, they are linked below: Value Stream Mapping Overview How to

Press to Rationalize Chrysler Product Line

By Ron Pereira - February 22nd, 2008

I am finally winding down on one serious road trip across the UK and Germany. I head back home tomorrow. I have slept in 6 different hotels the past 9 evenings. It’s been crazy to say the least… especially given the f

Clean up, Guide to Lean, and more

By Ron Pereira - February 19th, 2008

Things have been pretty crazy around here the last few days. Switching over to this new website was definitely worth it… but not without it’s share of work. Clean Up When you switch to a completely new design like this ce

One Piece Flow versus Mass Production

By Ron Pereira - February 18th, 2008

Update on Nov 6, 2020: The original version of the video is no longer available. But I did want to add a note that the reaction to this original article was one of the main reasons Gemba Academy exists today. I have left the original c

What is RSS?

By Ron Pereira - February 17th, 2008

I’ve been asked by a few folks what the funny looking blue icon on my front page was all about. So, let’s take a break from lean and six sigma and talk about the wonders of RSS. The Good Old Days In the old days when we wanted

Kudos to American Airlines and DFW International Airport

By Ron Pereira - February 13th, 2008

I just had the best experience here at the DFW International airport. I pulled up to the drop-off zone, kissed my wife and kids good-bye, grabbed my bags, headed to the Executive Platinum check in line (one of the benefits of frequen

How to Create a Product Quantity / Product Routing Matrix

By Ron Pereira - February 12th, 2008

In part 1 of our series on value stream mapping (VSM) we were introduced to what a value stream is. We also discussed the roadmap I personally use when working with this powerful tool. In this installment, we’ll take a deeper dive in

Value Stream Mapping Overview

By Ron Pereira - February 8th, 2008

One of, if not the single most powerful lean tool available to us is value stream mapping (VSM). The reason it’s so powerful is because of its relevancy. You see, it doesn’t matter if you are an accountant who sits behind a

Long Live the King (Cash)

By Ron Pereira - February 7th, 2008

If you are involved with a for-profit business in any way please remember one thing – cash is king. Of course respecting people is absolutely critical. But cash pays the bills. It buys things. It pays salaries. So without money in

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