Category Archives: Manufacturing

Executives Participating in Kaizen Events

Posted on March 1, 2006 by John Hunter

The Masco Mapmakers [the broken link was removed] by Bill Waddell Guys from Brasscraft or Morgantown Plastics might go to a Delta faucet plant for the event – and note that these are executives, not factory level folks – that spend the week working on the kaizens. Of course, the Grand Kaizens are not the only ones. Individual plants hold their own kaizens by the hundreds. The primary purpose of the Grand Kaizen is to spread the lean message throughout … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management, Manufacturing | Tagged , ,

Made in the USA

Posted on February 28, 2006 by John Hunter

Is ‘Made in U.S.A.’ back in vogue? [the broken link was removed] As the need for speed in fashion retailing becomes ever more crucial to merchants, industry observers say “Made in U.S.A” is once again looking more attractive to some U.S. retailers versus importing from China. … The company used to import 70 percent of its merchandise from China and elsewhere and manufactured a smaller 30 percent of it in the U.S. Today it manufactures 60 percent locally and imports … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management, Manufacturing, Systems thinking | Tagged | 2 Comments

Lean Manufacturing Success

Posted on February 27, 2006 by John Hunter

K&S makes first shipment to China [the broken link was removed] by Buzz Ball The award was given for K&S Wire’s continuous improvement in manufacturing excellence and its implementation of “lean” enterprise principles into its everyday operations. It is because of these principles that Schwartz was able to make the announcement about the shipment to China. “We took the order to construct 111,000 wire frames that will hold flip-flops,” said Schwartz. “Because of our ‘lean’ principles, our price was better … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Lean thinking, Management, Manufacturing | Tagged

Manufacturing’s Influential Thinkers

Posted on February 26, 2006 by John Hunter

Manufacturing’s Influential Thinkers and Doers [the broken link was removed] by John S. McClenahen This article includes many of those I feel have contributed to the improvement of management over the last 35 years including: W. Edwards Deming, Taiichi Ohno, Shigeo Shingo, Gary Hamel and Eliyahu M. Goldratt. However, “the best manufacturing thinkers of the last several decades” are Taiichi Ohno and Shigeo Shingo, contends Mercer’s Slywotzky. Ohno was a Toyota Motor Co. vice president and Shingo a consultant. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Management Articles, Manufacturing, Toyota Production System (TPS)

La-Z-Boy Lean

Posted on February 25, 2006 by John Hunter

La-Z-Boy changing production lines to compete with China [the broken link was removed]: But in an attempt to better compete with the overseas market, the Neosho plant, along with six others in its division, is transitioning to the Lean Cellular Manufacturing method. In the new concept, the chair or sofa is manufactured by a team within a cell, thus eliminating separate departments. No jobs will be lost in the transition from batch-and-queue to lean cellular. “Basically, we will have teams … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Lean thinking, Management, Manufacturing | Tagged

2006 Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing

Posted on February 23, 2006 by John Hunter

2006 Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing [the broken link was removed, I am continually amazed by organizations that do things like delete press releases, sigh, and a new waste created by poorly managing web resources] American manufacturing continues to experience turbulent times in maintaining and growing manufacturing jobs. The only business approach that has demonstrated superior achievement is Lean Enterprise Management (the Toyota Production System), the foundation of the Shingo Prize. All 14 companies to be recognized in 2006 … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Manufacturing | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Global Manufacturing Data by Country

Posted on February 22, 2006 by John Hunter

I am still looking for a good source for manufacturing data by country and year. Today I found some data from the United Nations Statistics Division. The data for the top five manufacturing economies: China, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom and United States. Figures are in current $US billion. The data used is for Mining, Manufacturing and Utilities (because China and Germany do not have manufacturing data separated out). Country 2001 2002 2003 2004 United States 1,781 1,779 1,876 2,012 Japan … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Economics, Manufacturing, Popular, quote | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Single Piece Flow

Posted on February 9, 2006 by John Hunter

Single Piece Flow [the broken link was removed] by Rich Weissman: The transition from batch and queue to lean manufacturing involves converting to single piece flow… In traditional manufacturing, specific operations were done in batches by departments that specialized in individual manufacturing tasks like machining, welding, assembly, and test. Through the integration of lean induced cellular manufacturing processes, cross-trained employees produce just the amount of completed products that are required by other internal operations or the end customer. By eliminating … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management Articles, Manufacturing, Quality tools | Tagged

Lean at NUMMI

Posted on January 11, 2006 by John Hunter

Lean at NUMMI (site broke the link so I removed it) by Patrick Waurzyniak , Manufacturing Engineering. An article well worth reading. NUMMI’s production system is patterned closely after TPS, which is constantly changing and being updated, notes Gonzalez-Beltran. The pillars of TPS are the waste-reduction techniques of Just-in-Time production, bringing inventory to where it is needed and at the right time, and also jidoka, which provides machines and operators the ability to detect abnormal conditions and immediately stop work … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Manufacturing, Toyota Production System (TPS) | Tagged ,

Lean Manufacturing in the Middle East

Posted on January 2, 2006 by John Hunter

Lean Manufacturing Interview of Mohammed Ajlouni, Managing Director of Jordan Specialized Vehicle: How should you work with your suppliers in a truly lean environment? In a truly lean environment, suppliers are partners. They will be expected to supply the required material, the right quality, the right quantity, at the right time, every time. To be able to do this, suppliers have to learn how to take the waste out of their processes. Indeed, many companies have to teach their suppliers … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management Articles, Manufacturing

America’s Manufacturing Future

Posted on December 27, 2005 by John Hunter

A Wake-up Call From Asia [the broken link was removed] by Patricia Panchak [the broken link was removed]: China and India very aggressively are pursuing advanced manufacturing. Increasingly, China’s exports to the U.S. are composed of advanced-technology products. … J.P. Morgan said it would add 4,500 employees in India by the year 2007, mainly by setting up operations in Bangalore to support its growing structured finance and derivatives businesses globally. Such jobs are not the simple, low-value call-center work that … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Economics, India, Manufacturing | Tagged , ,

Rebirth of American Industry

Posted on December 21, 2005 by John Hunter

William Waddell excellent posts on the Evolving Excellence blog are always an interesting read. He, and Norman Bodek, have published a new book, Rebirth of American Industry. Read the full Excerpt from the book [the broken link was removed]. The Evolving Excellence blog also has a post: A New Must-Read Book – From Our Own Bill Waddell [the broken link was removed]. Norman Bodek has also written: Kaikaku, The Idea Generator: Quick and Easy Kaizen (with Bunji Tozawa) and The … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Lean thinking, Manufacturing | Tagged ,

Hopeful About India’s Manufacturing Sector

Posted on December 11, 2005 by John Hunter

Why Am I Hopeful About India’s Manufacturing Sector [the broken link was removed] by Indra: As World Economic Forum Founder and Chairman Professor Klaus Schwab said in recently held India Economic Summit, 2005, “It is indeed important for India to excel globally not only in the services sector but also in the manufacturing sector. Manufacturing in India has become much more sophisticated with the introduction of high technology in many of its production processes. A key priority for India is … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, India, Manufacturing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Ford’s Wrong Turn

Posted on December 5, 2005 by John Hunter

Mr. Ford’s Wrong Turn, Why U.S. Automakers Can’t Blame Japan by James P. Womack: What makes this claim so extraordinary is that Japanese companies, led by Toyota Motor Corp., are thrashing Ford by building vehicles in North American factories with North American-made parts and North American workers, who receive American-style wages and health benefits. And increasingly, these Japanese brand vehicles are engineered in America by Americans. Consider a few facts about Toyota. About 65 percent of the vehicles the firm … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management, Management Articles, Manufacturing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Toyota Manufacturing Powerhouse

Posted on November 28, 2005 by John Hunter

Great required reading [the broken link was removed] via Evolving Excellence, Relentless [the broken link was removed], Detroit News: As Toyota expands rapidly, it is also grappling with a shortage of skilled managers and engineers. When it decided in June to build its seventh North American assembly plant in Woodstock, Ontario, officials said one reason they chose that site was because the new factory could be overseen by the team running its nearby Cambridge plant. Last month, the normally acquisition-shy … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management Articles, Manufacturing, Psychology, Respect, Toyota Production System (TPS) | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Toyota Chairman Comments on India and Thailand

Posted on November 28, 2005 by John Hunter

Toyota Chief Comments on India, Thai Cos. [the broken link was removed] The chairman of Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday that auto companies in India and Thailand may soon overtake those in Japan because of their increasing focus on quality. While this might be a bit of an exaggeration part of what keeps Toyota improving is that they do not rest on their past success. They are continually looking to improve. He said no Japanese firm has won the Deming … Continue reading →

Posted in India, Management Articles, Manufacturing | Tagged | 2 Comments