Thursday, October 18, 2012

Lean Simulation - Flashlight Game

Lean Simulation Flashlight Game


<a href="http://videofileupload.com/f6ee09b996304e84b4173e0d8939b1f8.htm">Link</a>

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

TAKT Time Calculation Tool

This tool allows you to evaluate different scenarios for TAKT time calculations. If you click to edit, you can change the parameters to see the effect on TAKT time.



Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Making Plating Lean : Products Finishing

Making Plating Lean : Products Finishing

This is a fascinating article I came across. Process steps such as plating and powder coating are often difficult to run in-line with a pull system. The company in this artcle uses a sequencing system to plate parts grouped by the final build sequence their customer (Ford) specifies.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

I changed the layout...

The dynamic layout didn't properly show some of the elements on the right hand side. Particularly an Amazon search box and an advertisement for Enna's study tour to Japan. If you enjoy the blog, I would appreciate if you used the Amazon search box as your starting point whenever you want to purchase from Amazon! Thanks!

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Recommended: Lean Lexicon



Lean Lexicon 4th Edition
is provided by the Lean Enterprise Institute. The glossary includes only terms they felt were relevant and necessary to implementing a lean program and in wide use industry wide as opposed to company specific terms.


"The Lean Enterprise is a nonprofit education, publishing, conferencing, and management research center founded in 1997 by lean management expert James P. Womack. Its mission is to promote the principles of lean thinking in every aspect of business across a wide range of manufacturing and service industries in order to help organizations transform themselves into lean enterprises. The publications teach lean methods and principles, while our management seminars assist managers and executives in developing the leadership behaviors necessary to create and sustain lean enterprises."

Monday, April 23, 2012

Lean Six Sigma Overview - 46 Slides

Lean Six Sigma...

De-Mystifying Supply Chain Modeling and Analysis

Supply Chain Analysis and Modeling ...

Introduction to Setup Reduction / SMED

Setup Reduction ...

Sample Kanban Presentation

Kanban Implementation Management ...

Facility Layout Systems Kaizen

System Kaizen - Facility Layout Events ...

6S and Visual Management Workshop

6S Workshop ...

Lean Work Cell Layouts

Work Cell Layout ...

Introduction to Heijunka

Heijunka ...

ISO-9001 Template for sale

ISO-9001:2008; QM-1 Quality Policy Manual...

I hope this proves to be of use to anyone pursuing registration.

To customize this template, use MS Word "find" (ctrl-f) and "replace all" with the specific values for your company.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Go "Undercover" to Find the Flaws in Your Company - Robert M. Galford - Harvard Business Review

Go "Undercover" to Find the Flaws in Your Company - Robert M. Galford - Harvard Business Review

Robert Galford discusses the "Undercover Boss" phenomenon and recommendations about how to put such a strategy in place in the regular world.

When I first saw the show, I recognized something right away...the format is actually a new type of Kaizen event:
1. The executive meets with his senior team and determines a charter of what they hope to accomplish or learn
2. A cross section of the business is chosen to examine
3. The CEO goes to the Gemba, in disguise, to gain unfiltered data
4. The CEO learns what the intended or unintended consequences of existing policies and methods are in the field
5. The CEO returns to the board and/or institutes countermeasures based on what was learned
6. The CEO reports out to the broader organization, explaining the process, findings, and follow-up items

Other similarities:
1. Being put outside one's comfort zone as a method of learning
2. There's always at least one epiphany moment - where direct observation shatters pre-conceived views or opinions of the current state

I noticed in recent episodes, the report out seems to be missing. I hope that's only the case for the TV audience, because this new type of kaizen event can be invaluable for the actual companies.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

To-Do Lists Don't Work - Daniel Markovitz - Harvard Business Review

To-Do Lists Don't Work - Daniel Markovitz - Harvard Business Review

Daniel Markovitz lays out the reasons that traditional to-do lists are counterproductive, providing a poor guide to time management and prioritization.

What's most interesting is the substitute he proposes for the to-do list and the issues it resolves.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Monday, January 23, 2012

Lean Simulations: Single Piece Flow vs. Batch Production - Video

Lean Simulations: Single Piece Flow vs. Batch Production - Video: Single Piece Flow vs Batch Production Most lean games and simulations run in phases, contrasting the traditional batch production tech...

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Kaizen Notebook: Bilateral Symmetry, Standard Work, and "The Box"

Kaizen Notebook: Bilateral Symmetry, Standard Work, and "The Box": All creatures great and small that have ever existed on Earth, from the lowliest insects to the mightiest carnivores, share one thing in com...