Demand Surges for Lean Talent Over Six Sigma March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in lean, six sigma.Tags: lean, six sigma
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In an IndustryWeek analysis of an Avery Point Group study, the demand for lean skills is outpacing demand for Six Sigma skills this year by 68%, whereas last year lean outpaced Six Sigma demand by only 35%. The reason why is inferred to be because lean is viewed as being a faster system of improvement than Six Sigma.
For more of the IndustryWeek analysis, head on over to see the article here.
Securing the Elusive Lean Buy-In March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in change management, lean.Tags: change management, lean
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Jamie Flinchbaugh, writing over at IndustryWeek, presents a four-step process for a successful lean buy-in. Among those steps are treating those you are seeking to buy into not as enemies, but as customers; and overcoming the valid “no” by responding to questions and concerns about the buy-in.
Check out Jamie’s IndustryWeek article here.
Is Manufacturing Dead in America? March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in manufacturing.Tags: manufacturing
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According to popular perception, there is no such thing as American manufacturing anymore. But according to Michael Newkirk, writing at IndustryWeek, this is clearly not true. The United States is still the leading manufacturer in the world, and the third largest exporter. Among other facts Michael presents is that in 2008, America exported $5.5 trillion in manufactured goods, up 30% from 2000.
For these and other heartening data, please read Michael’s article here.
Box-Swap Process Helps GM-Fort Wayne Keep on Truckin’ March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in automotive, manufacturing.Tags: automotive, manufacturing
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The Fort Wayne, Indiana General Motors plant has developed an interesting approach to handle new large truck designs too big for its existing factory conveyance system. Trucks of different sizes that are ordered in the same color are paired together and their cabs and beds are switched for painting. Then they are returned to the proper vehicles. These and other innovative solutions to problems have made the plant highly successful.
To read more about this innovative solution to a vexing problem, click here.
Is Takt Time the Most Misunderstood Lean Concept? March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Lean Tools & Techniques.Tags: Lean Tools & Techniques
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Takt time, which Jamie Flinchbaugh defines as customer demand rate, is very often misunderstood as production process pace. Takt time has to deal with what a company is working and building towards, and so it is often confused with production pace. It also demonstrates that lean is not just mere common sense, but that there is serious substance to it as well.
Check out Jamie’s explanation of takt time and what it means at his website.
Train Your Brain to Focus March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, work-life balance.Tags: personal productivity, work-life balance
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While popular media and friends marvel at those who can multitask, a Bloomberg Businessweek Harvard Business Review article asserts that multitasking means more mistakes and an inability to retain information among other issues. Focus is better. The article presents a ways that anyone can train their brains to focus. Negative emotional distress can be tamed with good sleep, meditation, and exercise, for example –and this leads the brain to strategize more efficiently.
Head on over to Harvard Business Review to read the article.
The Benefits of Lean IT in Manufacturing March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in lean office, manufacturing.Tags: lean office, manufacturing
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Lean isn’t just something for car manufacturing and business organization. It can also be applied to IT. An article by Steve Minter at IndustryWeek highlights the lean efforts of Ryan King, director of information technology at ARPAC. King explains that a lean IT system can mean better production methods. For example, instead of having to fill out paperwork to request more parts, employees can simply scan a barcode identifying which parts are needed.
To read the IndustryWeek article about implementing lean in IT, head on over here.
Chi-e and Dr. Seuss March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Lean Thinking.Tags: Lean Thinking
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Chi-e is the creation of an innovative idea through deep thinking – something Dr. Seuss’s Grinch also managed to do. Curiosity is a good thing. Lesa, writing at TPS Blog, talks about how she uses Chi-e every day to apply, explain, and share the Toyota Production System. This leads her to innovation and profound insights.
Read Lesa’s TPS blog post here.
Cost Subtraction March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in customer focus, strategy.Tags: customer focus, strategy
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The Old Lean Dude (aka Bruce Hamilton) recounts that prior to the 1980s, nobody questioned price increases, but that when the 1980s rolled around, people began requesting price decreases. That meant a new way of pricing products, with the formula: Profit = Price – Cost. While many companies handle this through outsourcing and leveraging suppliers, other companies focused on small scale changes to handle price decreases.
For more from Bruce’s insightful article, please head on over to his blog.
Employee Perks that Don’t Work March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, workforce
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Attempting to motivate employees can sometimes go too far. There are employee perks that will not work, and sometimes have the opposite effect. For example, on average, only 28% of employees use a workplace gym. Work-at-home days often mean no work gets done at all.
To learn about more poorly designed perks and their remedies, head over to FastCompany.
Scrunchie Lean March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in 5S & Visual Management, Creativity & Innovation, Lean Tools & Techniques.Tags: 5S & Visual Management, Creativity & Innovation, Lean Tools & Techniques
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The applications of lean visual management tools are often surprising. Mark Hamel, at Gemba Tales, relates one simple but highly effective visual control using scrunchies – a simple elastic hair tie. Mark’s friend and lean convert Lisa uses a green scrunchie to identify her laptop power cord among others when it is plugged in, and uses the scrunchie to fold up and store her wire on the go.
For photos and Mark’s post, head here.
Takt Times and Falling Sales: How to Respond? March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in lean, strategy.Tags: lean, strategy
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Michael Baudin, in response to a reader question about falling sales, explains at his blog that takt time is not just customer demand, but the division of production time by demand. Fluctuations in sales need to be distinguished from major changes, the latter of which needs addressing. A major downturn, for example, would mandate reducing production. Many people struggle with how to deal with lean implementation during lean economic times, and this adds an important point or two.
For Michael’s response at his blog, head on over here.
Why Profit Centers Work Better On Paper Than In Reality March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in customer focus.Tags: customer focus
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Bill Waddell over at Evolving Excellence relates a story where he attempted to purchase a barbeque grill at WalMart online to pick up at a store, only to discover that the purchase was cancelled because WalMart Online said the store didn’t have the grill in stock. Yet when Bill called the WalMart, he discovered four of the grills were in stock. He then spent some time on the phone with customer service, and customer service was unable to adequately address the issue of purchasing the grill. This comedy of errors is a product of poor process design, and we have all been victim to something like this in the past. Bill takes unusual joy in engaging employees in laying the process faults bare.
See the rest of Bill’s story with WalMart here.
Jiffy Lube Oil Change and Queuing March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Lean Tools & Techniques.Tags: Lean Tools & Techniques
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Pete Abilla, writing at Shmula, recounts a visit to Jiffy Lube for an oil change, during which time he noticed that one of four bays was kept open. During the visit, Pete noticed the Jiffy Lube crew –the whole crew –worked on one car at a time, and they track and publish the time for changes for customers to see while waiting. These processes are lean in nature, and were a pleasant surprise to discover.
Head on over to read Pete’s Shmula post here.
Paul Akers Q&A On Incentives & Rewards for Kaizen March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, workforce.Tags: kaizen, personal productivity, workforce
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Mark Graban hosts a reader question with respect to Paul Akers company FastCap using incentives or rewards to employees in exchange for their ideas. Mark reports that Paul does not use incentives because he wondered whether or not the money or the genuine commitment to improving the company mattered more.
Check out Mark’s post with Paul’s thoughts here.
“The Speed and Flexibility is Breathtaking” –But in a Good Way? March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in manufacturing, workforce.Tags: manufacturing, outsourcing, workforce
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Mark Graban’s Lean Blog post about how iPhones, iPods, and other electronic devices are being produced in China under horrible conditions to workers. 12-hour shifts and 8,000 Chinese workers can produce 10,000 iPhones per day. Chinese workers live at factories in small rooms with bunk beds that reach as many as fifteen high. When Apple prepares to launch a new product, 12-hour shifts become 16-hour shifts. Employees regularly become injured, and/or die on the production lines. And Apple doesn’t do as much as it should to stop such abuse.
Check out Mark’s informative post here.
For Some U.S. Companies, Time to Head Home March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in supply chain, Uncategorized.Tags: offshoring, outsourcing
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In an article at Bloomberg Businessweek, Matthew Phillips writes about a developing trend of U.S. companies that are returning their operations home. A panoply of issues face those companies which seek to outsource, such as separating physical production from engineering, cost of travel in terms of money and time, and globalized supply chains. For many companies the cost of all of these factors is too much. 21% of U.S. companies sourcing in China are now considering shifting back to the United States.
To read Matthew’s article, head on over here.
Straight Talk: Avoid the Con of Quick and Easy Lean March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in culture, lean.Tags: culture, lean
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Lawrence Miller, writing at IndustryWeek, makes the case that lean is a multiyear process more akin to a lifestyle change than a diet. Some lean gurus present lean as if it was a system of quick, painless fixes. Lawrence provides some helpful hints about how to avoid such false promises. Among them, saving money comes at the expense of trimming the workforce. Lawrence also provides some truthful information about lean, including the need for active leadership.
For Lawrence Miller’s informative article, please head here.
Quality is Every Worker’s Focus at Life Technologies March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in quality, workforce.Tags: quality, workforce
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IndustryWeek hosts an article about Life Technologies, Inc., which launched a 2008 initiative to implement lean in its manufacturing process, making sure that quality control was part of the process itself. Instead of different groups being separated in the process, they were integrated to work together. Making sure quality control was part of the process has helped reduce lead times by 50%.
Head on over to read the IndustryWeek article here.
12 Narrow Lean Gates March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in lean.Tags: lean
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One of the reasons lean often fails is because its principles are violated. This occurs out of ignorance, impatience, and other reasons. A Bible quote illustrations a broad gate and road does not lead to life, but a narrow gate does. Twelve narrow gates through which a lean journey must pass are presented, including moving beyond only event-driven kaizen and celebrating problems to solve them.
Travel on over to the Gemba Tales Blog for the gates post.
Culture vs. Strategy Is A False Choice March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in culture, strategy.Tags: culture, strategy
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According to Bob Frisch at FastCompany, the growing trend in business literature has been that culture is a greater determining factor in success than strategy. But Bob contends that this is a false set of choices. Both matter. Bob provides a number of case examples, including Southwest Airlines. Sure, their workers are friendly, funny, and encouraging, but their strategy of a young fleet and short flights is an important and successful strategy.
To read Bob’s article, please go here.
