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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.

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758 Articles

Looking Back on All My Children Have Taught Me

By Ron Pereira - March 11th, 2016

I’ve been blogging since 2007 and have written hundreds of articles.  And while I definitely have some favorite lean thinking articles like the value stream mapping series I wrote back in 2008… the articles I cherish the m

Learn How to Present Like Steve Jobs & Simon Sinek

By Ron Pereira - February 12th, 2016

Over the last few years I’ve started to do more and more keynote presentations in front of live audiences. And, while I love doing these live talks it’s much different than shooting a video in our studio or on the road during a

How Applesauce Saves a Hospital $30,000 per Year

By Ron Pereira - January 8th, 2016

2016 definitely started with a bang for the Gemba Academy video production team! We just recorded another Gemba Academy Live! episode at Franciscan Health in Indianapolis.  It was the first time we’ve visited a hospital and let

6 Steps to Leading (and Improving) Yourself

By Ron Pereira - December 4th, 2015

By Ron Pereira “You must manage yourself before you can lead someone else.” – Zig Ziglar We concluded our Culture of Kaizen course with a module on the importance of taking care of yourself since you’re not going to be effectiv

How to Problem Solve with a Virtual Team

By Ron Pereira - November 6th, 2015

By Ron Pereira Brainstorming, done correctly, can be extremely powerful. In a traditional brainstorming session a group of people normally come together with a bunch of Post-It notes and/or a white board. Folks often log their ideas on

Ron’s Favorite Gemba Academy Podcast Episodes

By Ron Pereira - October 2nd, 2015

On April 30, 2014 we released the first two Gemba Academy podcasts. To be 100% transparent, we weren’t quite sure what to expect. When we started the download “numbers” weren’t huge but, as you can see in the graph, we’ve see

Derek’s Lean Story

By Ron Pereira - September 4th, 2015

It was a Monday morning around 7:30 AM. I walked into the training room and glanced around. I’d been in this training room many times before but something felt different… I just couldn’t put my finger on what it was. I carried on

Fun With Measurement Systems Analysis – Part 2

By Ron Pereira - August 12th, 2015

Welcome back to the second, and final, part of this measurement systems analysis series.  If you didn’t read part 1 of this series please do before pressing on with this part.  We’ll wait on you! Measurement System Analy

Fun With Measurement Systems Analysis – Part 1

By Ron Pereira - August 7th, 2015

Over the years I’ve been fortunate to visit many different companies across the world.  During these visits, I’ve seen some amazing examples of continuous improvement in action. But, to be blunt, there is one aspect of con

Fun with Tennis Balls

By Ron Pereira - July 3rd, 2015

If you’re American and are reading this on July 4…  Happy Independence Day! I recently delivered a live workshop to a group of printing professionals.  The talk was a combination of Practical Problem Solving and Quick Cha

GA 064 | Leading in a Lean Environment with Kent Bradley

By Ron Pereira - June 25th, 2015

Press the play button above to listen to the episode. If you’re reading this via email or RSS click the image below to listen to the episode. Today’s guest, Kent Bradley, has more than 20 years of lean experience and an imp

GA 063 | Practical Problem Solving: Part Two with Jon Miller

By Ron Pereira - June 18th, 2015

Press the play button above to listen to the episode. If you’re reading this via email or RSS click the image below to listen to the episode. In the second part of our Practical Problem Solving course, GA Co-Founder Jon Miller an

GA 062 | Lean for the Long Term with Ken Rolfes

By Ron Pereira - June 11th, 2015

Press the play button above to listen to the episode. If you’re reading this via email or RSS click the image below to listen to the episode. Today’s episode features Ken Rolfes, a longtime lean thinker, author, and AME aff

The Power of Essentialism

By Ron Pereira - June 5th, 2015

Greg’s wife was scheduled to give birth to a baby girl on Friday. Upon hearing this wonderful news Greg’s boss explained, in a rather direct way, “Friday would be a very bad day to have the baby.” You see, as it turns out, Greg

GA 061 | Adventurous Thinking with Sally Dominguez

By Ron Pereira - June 4th, 2015

Press the play button above to listen to the episode. If you’re reading this via email or RSS click the image below to listen to the episode. Today’s episode is a little different, in a fantastic way. As an architect, inven

GA 060 | Practical Problem Solving: Part One with Jon Miller

By Ron Pereira - May 28th, 2015

Press the play button above to listen to the episode. If you’re reading this via email or RSS click the image below to listen to the episode. Today’s episode is part one of a series featuring Jon Miller, one of Gemba Academ

GA 059 | Lean Beginnings with Steve Stansbury

By Ron Pereira - May 21st, 2015

Press the play button above to listen to the episode. If you’re reading this via email or RSS click the image below to listen to the episode. Today’s guest is Steve Stansbury, an experienced lean practitioner with a diverse

GA 058 | Fueling Your Lean Journey with Rick Egelin

By Ron Pereira - May 14th, 2015

Press the play button above to listen to the episode. If you’re reading this via email or RSS click the image below to listen to the episode. Today’s guest is Rick Egelin, CEO of Fireblast, a fascinating company that builds

GA 057 | The Lean Race with Dan Markovitz

By Ron Pereira - May 7th, 2015

Press the play button above to listen to the episode. If you’re reading this via email or RSS click the image below to listen to the episode. Today’s guest is Dan Markovitz, esteemed lean author and consultant. We discuss h

GA 056 | Intentional Leadership with Chris Burnham

By Ron Pereira - April 30th, 2015

Press the play button above to listen to the episode. If you’re reading this via email or RSS click the image below to listen to the episode. Today’s guest is Chris Burnham, lean thinker and host of the incredible Lean Lead

GA 055 | Being a Visible Leader with Philip Holt

By Ron Pereira - April 23rd, 2015

Press the play button above to listen to the episode. If you’re reading this via email or RSS click the image below to listen to the episode. Today’s guest is Philip Holt, head of Partnership Development and Accounting Oper

GA 054 | The Five Guiding Principles with Jonathan Escobar Marin

By Ron Pereira - April 16th, 2015

Press the play button above to listen to the episode. If you’re reading this via email or RSS click the image below to listen to the episode. Today’s guest is Jonathan Escobar Marin, Global Head of Lean Management for the P

GA 053 | Creating a Successful Lean Enterprise with Rick Harris

By Ron Pereira - April 9th, 2015

Press the play button above to listen to the episode. If you’re reading this via email or RSS click the image below to listen to the episode. Today’s guest, Rick Harris, is one of the greats in the world of continuous impro

Finding Our Own Way

By Ron Pereira - April 3rd, 2015

By Ron Pereira “I invented nothing new.  I simply assembled the discoveries of other men behind whom where centuries of work.” -Henry Ford My colleague, Steve, recently experienced a rotten customer service situation with

GA 052 | The New Approach to Lean with Mark Rosenthal

By Ron Pereira - April 2nd, 2015

Press the play button above to listen to the episode. If you’re reading this via email or RSS click the image below to listen to the episode. Today’s guest is Mark Rosenthal, long-time lean thinker and blogger. Mark has an

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