Old Lean Dude
A Blog About Understanding The Toyota Production System and Gaining Its Full Benefits, brought to you by "The Toast Guy"
Category Archives: true north
Profitless Part Proliferation
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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...
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June 27 , 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..
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May 20 , 2016.
Indefinite Postponement
Today’s post is inspired by the politically charged gobbledygook we call presidential primaries. This battle of principles turned battle of wills..
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April 20 , 2016.
True North Pole
Many years ago a small expedition to the North Pole was funded by several American toy manufacturers, anxious to better understand how Santa’s..
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December 23 , 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..
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July 13 , 2015.
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..
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September 16 , 2013.
Is Lean the Dark Side of TPS?
What is Advanced Manufacturing?
I am looking for some help to answer this question. Seeking illumination, I recently attended a presentation offered through CCAT, a non-profit..
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June 04 , 2012.
Incremental Elimination of Weeds
Spring is my favorite season because of the spirit of renewal it brings with it. So here is a post dedicated to spring that is inspired by a comment..
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April 24 , 2012.
What does 3P Stand For?
3P, “Production Preparation Process,” is a method introduced to the US in the mid-80’s by Chihiro Nakao, a contemporary of Mr. Ohno, and founder of..
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April 19 , 2012.
JIT, Boy Scouts, and Stooges
I take my work very seriously, but sometimes when I have excess idle time (like on the red-eye from Phoenix to Boston), I’ll have a whimsical idea...
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April 06 , 2012.
Shingo's Network
With the International Shingo Prize Conference just a month away, I thought a short post about Shigeo Shingo and the Prize named in his honor would..
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March 30 , 2012.
John's Box
Some years back while working in an administrative department I encountered a curious condition. With about a half-dozen employees, I was following..
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March 14 , 2012.
Airplane
I think there are no new airplane stories left for those of us who take to the not-always-friendly skies, but having been on one of those super delay..
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March 05 , 2012.
They Assessment
Over years of listening to persons describe their work, one single word has surfaced repeatedly as a barometer of what is frequently called..
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February 27 , 2012.
WYSIWYG
Computer geeks over the age over 40 will recall that once upon a time, the images of text and graphics that appeared on computer screens bore little..
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February 15 , 2012.
Signs
Do you remember a post-hippie era song called Signs? The song’s refrain came to mind recently during a workplace walkthrough:
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February 03 , 2012.
Cost Subtraction
Last week, a drive-by a 99 Cent Store (see photo) reminded me of my first real job in an industrial marketing department. In the 1970’s, one function..
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January 23 , 2012.
5S First?
Some time ago, while speaking at a conference in the land down under, I was taken to task by a participant for suggesting, “5S is usually the first..
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January 12 , 2012.
Standards Part 1
I attended a gathering of healthcare providers recently to participate in a site review and listen to some nice TPS success stories. During a Q&A..
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December 06 , 2011.