Old Lean Dude
A Blog About Understanding The Toyota Production System and Gaining Its Full Benefits, brought to you by "The Toast Guy"
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There’s a certain irony for me in the attention given recently to the application of robots on the shop floor. On a couple occasions in the past..
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February 28 , 2023.
Leader Standard Waste: Part One
Three years ago I wrote a post entitled “The Emperor’s New Huddle Boards,” in which I expressed concern about the trappings of improvement without..
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Toast Kaizen,
David Mann,
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standard work,
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bruce hamilton,
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leader standard work,
standardized work
on
May 01 , 2018.
Who Cares for the Care Givers?
Last month I joined Eric Buhrens, CEO at Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI) to host a leadership team from the Tel Aviv’s Sourasky Medical Center. They..
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April 13 , 2018.
Back To The Future
Here is an article I wrote ten years ago, recently resurrected from the lost letter file. I can’t remember why I wrote it or for whom. Originally..
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December 22 , 2016.
Ten Posts for Ten Shingo Principles
Hurrah! Today is the first day of Spring, if a little snowy, in the Boston area. And the 28th Annual Shingo Prize Conference is fast approaching in..
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Toast Kaizen,
Lean Principles,
Shingo Institute,
kaizen,
shingo prize,
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toyota production system,
Guiding Principles
on
March 21 , 2016.
Ludicrous Speed
Mel Brooks fans will remember Spaceballs, his jocular jibe at the Star Wars epic. In pursuit of a rebel ship, evil Lord Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis)..
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kata,
lean manufacturing,
kanban,
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TPM,
bruce hamilton,
lean in healthcare,
toyota production system
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February 08 , 2016.
Putting The Pieces Together
Summer’s here, and that means a family vacation to the beach, the boardwalk and the Hamilton’s favorite Pizza place. We all agree that Manco’s pizza..
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Toast Kaizen,
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Pizza,
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Lean Culture
on
July 24 , 2015.
P-D Ratios
The last few weeks have been all things Shingo for me including a presentation at the Shingo Institute’s International Conference three weeks ago in..
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MRP,
shigeo shingo,
culture of improvement
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May 27 , 2015.
Unreasonability
Sometimes we receive unreasonable and confusing directions, and sometimes we give them. Check out this example.
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continuous improvement resolutions,
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April 13 , 2015.
The Emperor’s New Huddle Boards
After a one-day observation at a local company, I participated in a wrap-up meeting with the General Manager and his team. “We’ve been at this for..
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shingo prize,
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A3,
Huddle Boards
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March 23 , 2015.
Musical Kata
I sang baritone and sometimes tenor in the St. John’s Lutheran Church choir according the key of the hymn were rehearsing and also depending upon who..
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mike rother,
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healthcare kata,
operational excellence
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February 17 , 2015.
A Holiday Miracle
Viewing Bill Murray’s “Scrooged” last week for the twenty-fifth time in as many years, I recalled a kind of holiday miracle I witnessed shortly after..
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Management Kaizen,
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Taiichi Ohno,
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ohno circle,
gemba,
employee engagement
on
December 31 , 2014.
Dead See Scrolls
I participated recently in the AME conference in Jacksonville, Florida; a terrific rally for manufacturing excellence with the tongue-twisting theme..
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GBMP,
Taiichi Ohno,
TEI,
respect for people,
bruce hamilton,
People powered excellence,
employee engagement,
shigeo shingo,
Total Employee Involvement,
The Shingo Institute
on
November 26 , 2014.
NVLLIVS IN VERBA
There was a time when it was not fashionable for managers to associate with front line employees. Alluding to an old adage, I used to joke that you..
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administrative kaizen,
manager standard work,
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pokayoke,
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October 24 , 2014.
3P - Putting People Phirst
With our 10th Annual Northeast Conference just eight days away, I’ve taken a little poetic license with the conference theme, Putting People First,..
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toyota production system
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September 22 , 2014.
Invisibility
A chance reading recently provided a thought from Henry Thoreau that I think is worth sharing. Thoreau said:
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northeast lean conference,
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August 14 , 2014.
How We Learn
While I am an unabashed proponent of learning by doing, I have a list of books that have over the years been essential to me as a framework for..
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ryuji fukuda,
countermeasures,
CEDAC,
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on
August 08 , 2014.
Frankenstein Equivalents
I was speaking with a friend about a recent downsizing at his church. After nine years, a popular priest had been reassigned to another parish. In an..
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full time equivalents,
Frankenstein,
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July 22 , 2014.
Lesser Gods
I learned recently of the passing earlier this year of person I worked with twenty years ago at my last job in manufacturing. Manny S. was a ‘lesser..
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Silver Toaster Award,
bruce hamilton,
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July 07 , 2014.
Addicted to Lean
One of my early lessons in leading change came at the age of 19, while working in in a program known as VISTA, Volunteers in Service to America. The..
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bruce hamilton
on
June 16 , 2014.