Ron Pereira, Author at Gemba Academy | Page 21 of 31

Ron Pereira

Ron Pereira is a co-founder and the Managing Director of Gemba Academy and has more than 30 years of experience helping organizations improve performance through Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement. Prior to starting Gemba Academy, Ron served in a variety of manufacturing, supply chain, and leadership roles, including process engineer, engineering manager, Master Black Belt, and director of manufacturing and continuous improvement. Today, Ron works with leaders around the world to develop problem-solving capabilities, strengthen leadership, and build cultures where continuous improvement thrives. Through his writing, podcast interviews, and educational programs, he shares practical insights that help organizations achieve lasting operational excellence.

751 Articles

Dealing with Doubting Thomas

By Ron Pereira - March 30th, 2008

Today, Roman Catholics around the world read about Doubting Thomas. No matter what your personal belief system is, I think there is much to learn from this story, especially for those of us attempting to drive change in our organizati

One Piece Flow Envelope Stuffing Experiment

10 Benefits of One Piece Flow

By Ron Pereira - March 27th, 2008

There are at least ten reasons one piece flow won’t work. But, I prefer to look at things positively. You know, the glass is half full. With this said, here are 10 benefits of implementing one piece flow. Benefit 1: Improves safety R

What is Progress?

By Ron Pereira - March 26th, 2008

I was reading some quotes of G.K. Chesterton tonight and came across this one. “Progress should mean that we are always changing the world to fit the vision, instead we are always changing the vision.” – Orthodoxy, 19

A Response to the Video Skeptics

By Ron Pereira - March 24th, 2008

It’s safe to say the kinds words, comments, and emails for my one piece flow video have far exceeded my expectations. While most of the comments and feedback have been extremely positive there have been a few skeptics in the crow

LSS Academy Series Review – Six Sigma Edition

By Ron Pereira - March 23rd, 2008

First of all, Happy Easter! My family and I were in Oklahoma the last few days. As is very typical with me during road trips, I began to think about this blog. I am not sure if this is entirely healthy (me always thinking about t

Spring Fever – Fact or Fiction?

By Ron Pereira - March 20th, 2008

“It’s spring fever…. You don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!” -Mark Twain Texas Sun Today marks the beginning of spring. Here in Texas, the sun is shi

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

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