If you deal with training or education, you have probably heard the acronym LMS, which stands for “learning management system”. Learning is a major factor for improvement and competitiveness, regardless of what industry you are in. Acquiring new skills is a must in this fast-moving economy, especially if you are applying Lean principles. Lean can
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Adapting to Customer Demand In Lean, we talk a lot about meeting customer demand. Often, the conversation turns to cycle time, takt time, and how to meet demand just-in-time. Yet, there is another factor of customer demand that people often ignore in this process: What does the customer actually want? You may have an established
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The People Who Would Develop Modern Management and Industry We tend to think of famous historical figures frozen in time. Usually, a few portraits come to define them in the public consciousness. Many of the process improvement pioneers who inspired modern management practices are remembered with gray hair and distinguished faces. It’s easy to forget
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Despite feeling like there is never enough time in the day, Americans now have more free time than ever. Sociologist John P. Robinson at the University of Maryland, insists that the issue is one of perception rather than actual commitments. Hanna Rosin summarized his findings in Slate Magazine, “Robinson doesn’t ask us to meditate, or
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The Cows Milk Themselves It sounds like a setup for a joke but technology has created a system where cows determine when they are milked, turning the traditional farm image into a Lean pull system. The New York Times reports that a number of New York dairy farmers are using automatic milking stations, stalls that
Continue reading »When Dr. Eric J. Becoats, the superintendent of Durham Public Schools in Melbourne, Australia, was first appointed to the job two years ago, he inherited a system that wasn't the most ideal – it had a number of poorly performing schools in its jurisdiction. One of the first courses of action he decided to take
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Like much of Asia, Vietnam has spent the greater part of the last century trying to rebuild and grow after winning independence from France and then reuniting after the Cold War split. While the economic recession impacted much of the world, Asia has shown much more resilience when it comes to recovering from the downturn.
Continue reading »The benefits of Lean are manifold – companies using these mindsets and practices are able to reduce waste, improve efficiency and effectively engage their employees. As such, many businesses are now considering undergoing Kaizen transformations in an effort to embrace these new operational strategies and philosophies. Lean is a major driver of change and can
Continue reading »Colfax Corporation, a company that specializes in developing fluid-handling solutions for a variety of industries, recently released its fourth quarter earnings report. Although it fell short of established targets, the firm was able to make substantial progress toward improvement plans and growth initiatives. In a conference call with investors, the company's chief executive officer Steven
Continue reading »At big companies, it's often hard to pinpoint the root cause of problems. Systems of complex policies and processes obfuscate what is actually happening – for example, when a manufacturer is shipping and storing a ton of inventory, it can be difficult to track everything and really discover where things are going wrong because of everything
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