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Category Archives: TPS (2)

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.

Is Lean the Dark Side of TPS?

I opened a fortune cookie yesterday, which read: “Understanding little is better than misunderstanding a lot.” Seems to me that we Lean wannabes..
This entry was posted in lean, old lean dude, TPS, kanban, Shingo, true north on August 08 , 2013.

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