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Category Archives: TPS

What Does L.E.A.N. Mean?

As we approach the 19th year of our annual Northeast L.E.A.N. Conference (less than a month away!), I’d like to emphasize the acronym L.E.A.N...
This entry was posted in TPS, Toyota Production System. Lean manufacturing, Lean Daily Management, Lean Management, 7 wastes. Toyota Production System, Lean Culture on September 11 , 2023.

Tools or Culture?

With our annual Northeast LEAN Conference just a few days away, I want to relate a personal story about the theme of this year’s conference,
This entry was posted in old lean dude, TPS, lean manufacturing, kanban, continuous improvement, kaizen, 7 wastes, Changeover, SMED, toyota production system, shigeo shingo, enterprise excellence on September 14 , 2017.

The Final Frontier

On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first US astronaut to journey to the “final frontier.” Atop a Mercury rocket, Shepard launched into a..
This entry was posted in old lean dude, TPS, lean manufacturing, six sigma, continuous improvement, shingo model, lean thinking, Shingo Institute, lean in healthcare, toyota production system, Lean Culture on June 05 , 2017.

Lean Wizards

October was Lean conference month for me: First our own Northeast Lean Conference in Worcester (pronounced “Wustah”), then the international AME..
This entry was posted in lean, old lean dude, TPS, six sigma, continuous improvement, lean thinking, Toast Kaizen, Toyota Production System. Lean manufacturing, kaizen, 5S on October 31 , 2016.

Profitless Part Proliferation

I wrote a post a little more than five years ago about Variety Reduction Program (VRP), an amazing but little known product design optimization tool...
This entry was posted in old lean dude, TPS, lean manufacturing, GBMP, Toast Kaizen, kaizen, hoshin kanri, true north, poka-yoke, toyota production system, inventory, shigeo shingo, value stream mapping on June 27 , 2016.

Traditional Lean?

Twice in the last month I’ve heard the phrase “Traditional Lean” used in public presentations. In neither case did the presenter explain the..
This entry was posted in old lean dude, TPS, lean manufacturing, six sigma, continuous improvement, GM, automation, MRP, toyota production system, lean sigma, ERP on May 31 , 2016.

Eye of the Beholder

Many moons ago when I was just getting started on my lean journey, I visited a large automotive supplier to benchmark pull systems. My own factory..
This entry was posted in old lean dude, TPS, lean manufacturing, kanban, GBMP, Toast Kaizen, kaizen, TPM, 5S, true north, poka-yoke, toyota production system, shigeo shingo, value stream mapping on May 20 , 2016.

Lazy Lean Guy

In 1987, shortly after I became a manufacturing manager, the shop foreman at the time warned me about a young assembler: “Watch out for Michael, he’s..
This entry was posted in old lean dude, TPS, lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, Taiichi Ohno, Non-stock production, toyota production system, better faster cheaper easier, shigeo shingo on November 12 , 2015.

Up, Back and Around

Watching the US Women’s Team take the World Cup last week caused me to reminisce about my short-term coaching stint of a U12 soccer team. Before..
This entry was posted in old lean dude, TPS, lean manufacturing, lean thinking, Toast Kaizen, kaizen, practice, true north, lean in healthcare, teamwork, Toyota Product System, gemba walk, Lean Culture on July 13 , 2015.

Precisely Wrong

Last Thursday marked the fourth anniversary of the passing of someone who, while not typically credited as a “Lean” thinker, nevertheless had a..
This entry was posted in old lean dude, TPS, lean manufacturing, Eli Goldratt, Theory of Constraints, productivity, the goal, toyota production system, Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, TOC, effect-cause-effect, Ford on June 15 , 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..
This entry was posted in old lean dude, TPS, lean manufacturing, GBMP, muda, northeast lean conference, TPM, bruce hamilton, lean maturity, lean in healthcare, MRP, shigeo shingo, culture of improvement on May 27 , 2015.

I'm Against It!

A recent viewing of a Marx Brothers film caused me to reflect on one of the questions I’m frequently asked, “How do you deal with people that are..
This entry was posted in lean, old lean dude, TPS, kaizen, lean in healthcare, gemba, toyota production system on September 02 , 2014.

Permutations

For many years I worked for a manufacturer of pressure and temperature switches, a small company with a very big product selection. In our product..
This entry was posted in old lean dude, TPS, lean manufacturing, kanban, continuous improvement, GBMP, kaizen, shingo prize, bruce hamilton, toyota production system, 1x1 processing on April 18 , 2014.

Nice Round Numbers

I was working recently with a company that is targeting inventory reduction as a top priority. I stressed that reducing the causes of inventory is a..
This entry was posted in old lean dude, TPS, six sigma, lean accounting. continuous improvement, purchasing, bruce hamilton, safety stock, inventory, eoq on January 24 , 2014.

Patience

In 1966, a freshman at a college in Maine attended a speech given by Floyd McKissick, newly appointed head of the Congress of Racial Equality, better..
This entry was posted in lean, old lean dude, TPS, continuous improvement, Toast Kaizen, Martin Luther King, employees, managers, bruce hamilton, patience, toyota production system, acceptance, change, Lean Culture on January 16 , 2014.

Rowing II

Many managers ask me “How can I accelerate my company’s Lean transformation?” My answer is two fold: First get the direction right, and then get..
This entry was posted in lean, old lean dude, TPS, northeast shingo prize conference, fukuda, TSSC, true north on September 16 , 2013.

Culture Schmulture

Some time ago, while giving a presentation entitled Organizational Obstacles to Lean, I displayed a slide with the title “It’s Not about Culture”. My..
This entry was posted in old lean dude, TPS, continuous improvement, Management Kaizen, kaizen, bruce hamilton, toyota production system, Lean Management, John Shook, Lean Culture on June 21 , 2013.

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