Category Archives: continuous improvement (6)

I grew up in a small manufacturing company where nine different languages were spoken. English was the language of managers, office workers and some..

Most often when we think of a wheel, it’s in the context of transportation, one of the more obvious and ever-present of the 7 wastes. In fact, the..

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..

During a recent Tea Time with The Toast Dude webinar, I shared a few of my favorite books. These are the books that I recommend to students of Lean..

Holiday shopping last week at one of my favorite food places, Johnson’s Popcorn, I came upon a scene reminiscent of our Lean training video Toast..

October was Lean conference month for me: First our own Northeast Lean Conference in Worcester (pronounced “Wustah”), then the international AME..

One of Shigeo Shingo’s popular status quo targets was engineers, whom he placed in three categories: Table engineers—those who just sit around a..

Twice in the last month I’ve heard the phrase “Traditional Lean” used in public presentations. In neither case did the presenter explain the..

Here’s a personal reflection from my distant past, but which might still be a current state for some of you. When I began working in manufacturing..

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)..