Toyota and Lean

Since Toyota is usually referenced for great Lean examples and has received much negative news lately, sharing some viewpoints from Lean leaders might add perspective.

Lean in the Office - Shortening the closing cycle

A company implementing Lean, examined its month-end closing process as part of the lean office initiative as well. They went from 5 days to 2.5 days close. Following are some wastes they were able to identify and eliminate:

This e-newsletter is written by Dennis Sowards to share ideas on the 5S’s and Lean practices especially as they are applied in construction. If you have ideas or lessons learned to share please contact me.

MUDA Walk for a Month

Lean Leadership

I tell people that all employees are managers – they manage at least one person. BUT not all employees are leaders. We need Lean Leaders. John Shook, Lean guru and Senior Advisor of the Lean Enterprise Institute gave a keynote address at the 2009 IW Best Plants Conference in Nashville. He had much food for thought on leadership.

5S’s Tips from Brad Schmidt, President of Gemba Japan

“5S Training - Insist on giving people training about kaizen and the 7 types of waste before doing 5S with them. If 5S doesn't make sense to them, they will oppose it.

Tops of Cabinets - Always check on top of machines and cabinets. A whole bunch of stuff is up there.

Lean in HealthCare

Helen Zak of the Lean Institute writes about the national healthcare debate and Lean:

“No doubt you've heard and read a lot about the debate in Washington D.C. over healthcare reform.

Lean and Safety

Preparing for the future