Manufacturing

463 Articles

GA 197 | How to Use Continuous Improvement in Untraditional Settings with Veronica Silva

By Jessica Bush - January 11th, 2018

This week’s guest is Veronica Silva. Veronica shared some great stories of how she’s used continuous improvement in all different kinds of settings, including bartending and banking. An MP3 version of this episode is availa

GA 188 | How to Understand the Components of Kata with Brandon Brown

By Jessica Bush - November 9th, 2017

This week’s guest is Brandon Brown. Brandon provided us with a comprehensive breakdown of both the improvement and coaching katas, in anticipation of our upcoming kata course. An MP3 version of this episode is available for downl

GA 187 | How to Leverage the Improvement and Coaching Katas with Mark Rosenthal

By Jessica Bush - November 2nd, 2017

This week we’re giving you a sneak peek of our upcoming kata course. Ron explains why kata is so valuable, and we’ve also included some great clips from Mark Rosenthal’s classroom instruction. An MP3 version of this e

GA 186 | How to Transition into Different Lean Roles with Jess Orr

By Jessica Bush - October 26th, 2017

This week’s guest is Jess Orr. Ron sat down with Jess at AME Boston to discuss her transition from working at Toyota to taking on a new role at another company. An MP3 version of this episode is available for download here. In t

GA 184 | How to Become a Better Problem Solver with Kelly Moore

By Jessica Bush - October 12th, 2017

This week’s guest is Kelly Moore, longtime friend and customer of Gemba Academy. Ron and Kelly discussed problem solving and all the different ways you can approach it, including Toyota Kata, PDCA, and more. An MP3 version of thi

GA 183 | How to Approach Lean with Michael Ballé

By Jessica Bush - October 5th, 2017

This week’s guest is Michael Ballé. Michael recently co-authored a new book, The Lean Strategy. Ron and Michael discussed the contents of the book and why the idea of lean as a strategy is so controversial. An MP3 version of th

GA 182 | How to Use the “5 Why” Method with Jon Miller

By Jessica Bush - September 28th, 2017

This week’s guest is GA Co-Founder Jon Miller. Jon explained the “5 Why” method and how it can be used to effectively determine root causes and solve problems. An MP3 version of this episode is available for download

GA 180 | How to Use Total Productive Maintenance with Jeff Gregory

By Jessica Bush - September 14th, 2017

This week’s guest is Jeff Gregory, a consultant with a strong industry background. Jeff and Ron talked all about TPM, OEE, and much more. Even if you’re not in manufacturing, there’s a lot to learn in this episode. An

GA 179 | How to Leverage Continuous Improvement in the Office with Jim Pecoraro

By Jessica Bush - September 7th, 2017

This week’s guest is consultant Jim Pecoraro. Jim and Ron discussed applying continuous improvement beyond manufacturing, specifically in an office or otherwise administrative context. An MP3 version of this episode is available

GA 177 | How to Think Like Toyota with Tracey and Ernie Richardson

By Jessica Bush - August 24th, 2017

This week’s guests are Tracey and Ernie Richardson. Tracey and Ernie talked about their new book The Toyota Engagement Equation and about their personal lean journeys. An MP3 version of this episode is available for download her

GA 174 | How to Foster Leadership in the Blue-Collar Workforce with Mack Story

By Jessica Bush - August 3rd, 2017

This week’s guest is consultant and speaker Mack Story. Mack talked about his experiences sharing leadership development skills with the blue-collar workforce. This is a powerful episode that really sheds light on what it means t

GA 170 | How to See Past the Numbers with Bill Waddell

By Jessica Bush - July 6th, 2017

This week we’re sharing an inspiring keynote by Bill Waddell from the 2015 Lean Leadership Week. Bill explains how the concepts of fuzzy logic, globalization, and basic morality intersect, and why lean is ultimately all about peo

GA 168 | How to Leverage Change Intelligence with Barbara Trautlein

By Jessica Bush - June 22nd, 2017

This week’s guest is Barbara Trautlein, the founder of Change Catalysts. Barbara and Ron discussed change management, specifically why change fails and how people define failure. Barbara also explained the concept of Change Intel

GA 166 | How to “Win” at Lean with Paul Critchley

By Jessica Bush - June 8th, 2017

This week’s guest is Paul Critchley, a lean consultant with a diverse background. Paul and Ron discussed some of the roadblocks organizations typically experience on their lean journeys, as well as what it means to be “win

GA 165 | Lean in the Auto Collision Industry with Chris Norris

By Jessica Bush - June 1st, 2017

This week’s guest is Chris Norris, a lean practitioner in the auto collision industry. Chris explained how he’s applied lean at several different companies, and what he’s learned over the years. An MP3 version of thi

GA 160 | The Power of Job Methods with Steve Brenneman

By Jessica Bush - April 27th, 2017

Today’s episode is a presentation by Steve Brenneman, CEO of the Aluminum Trailer Company, from this year’s TWI Summit in San Diego. In this powerful and informative talk, Steve shares how they use Job Methods, one of the c

GA 159 | Lean and Profitability with Jim Lancaster

By Jessica Bush - April 20th, 2017

Today’s guest is Jim Lancaster, CEO of Lantech. Ron and Jim discussed Lantech’s fascinating history and lean journey, including the obstacles they’ve faced over the years. An MP3 version of this episode is available f

GA 155 | Toyota Kata and the Power of Networking with Christopher Ferrier

By Jessica Bush - March 23rd, 2017

This week’s guest is Christopher Ferrier, who we met up with at the TWI/KataCon conference in San Diego, California. Ron and Christopher talked about Toyota Kata, the power of networking, ultramarathons, and more. An MP3 version

GA 154 | The Real Meaning of Lean with Art Byrne

By Jessica Bush - March 16th, 2017

This week’s guest is Art Byrne, author and highly respected lean leader. Ron and Art discussed Art’s lean journey, including his days as CEO of Wiremold. You won’t want to miss this one! An MP3 version of this episod

GA 153 | From Tiffany & Co. to Toyota with Josh Sanchez

By Jessica Bush - March 9th, 2017

This week’s guest is Josh Sanchez, a continuous improvement practitioner with a fascinating background. Josh worked for Tiffany & Co. before landing a job at Toyota, and is now transitioning into a healthcare role. Ron and J

McProcess

By Steve Kane - February 17th, 2017

I recently saw the movie “The Founder”— the story of Ray Kroc and the McDonald’s empire. The movie does a good job of illustrating what one can do with the right opportunity, enough drive, and a lot of moral flexibility. We’l

GA 150 | How to Respect Diversity with Mike Brett

By Jessica Bush - February 16th, 2017

This week’s guest is Mike Brett, a lean thinker from the UK. Ron and Mike talked about the diversity of Mike’s company, their journey with Hoshin Kanri, and a special lean card game that Mike created. An MP3 version of this

GA 149 | How to Teach TWI with Jamie Parker

By Jessica Bush - February 9th, 2017

This week’s guest is Jamie Parker, an avid lean thinker and past podcast guest who recently participated in our first live training class. Jamie and Ron reflected back on the class, which centered around  the Job Instruction co

GA 148 | How to Create Your Vision with Paul Hill

By Jessica Bush - February 2nd, 2017

This week’s guest is Paul Hill, a longtime lean thinker with a diverse background. Ron and Paul discussed implementing lean from different angles and the challenges that can arise. An MP3 version of this episode is available for

GA 147 | How to Succeed at Value Stream Mapping with Beau Keyte

By Jessica Bush - January 26th, 2017

This week’s guest is Beau Keyte, an author and performance improvement coach with an impressive background. Ron and Beau discussed both editions of The Complete Lean Enterprise, the evolution of Value Stream Mapping, and more. An

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