A Lean Safety Gemba Walk is a walk through the work area (Gemba) that focuses on the continuous improvement of safety. When conducted in a respectful manner, by skilled facilitators, Safety Gemba Walks can have a dramatic long-lasting impact on the culture of a business. Lean Safety Gemba Walks: A Methodology for Workforce Engagement and Culture Change is a follow-up to the author's bestselling book, Lean Safety, published in 2010. It is a natural progression from the philosophical overview provided by Lean Safety to the reality of the application of those principles in facilities around the world.This book presents a collection of Lean Safety Gemba Walk case studies that are based on the author's experiences over the last four years. As the stories unfold, readers are transported on a journey of discovery through the Gemba and begin to see safety differently just as those who physically participated. Illustrating the importance of employee engagement and culture change, the book provides you with the tools to engage managers, employees, and hourly staff in the continuous improvement of safety. The concepts covered will allow you to empower employees to make a difference in their safety culture rather than simply complying with safety rules.

The Lean Expert: Educating and Elevating Lean Practitioners Throughout Your Organization outlines a method that can help organizations engage associates and empower them to achieve "expert status" in the nine core principles of Lean. By implementing the Lean Discipline Expert process detailed in the book, companies will demonstrate to their associates that they believe they are the organization's greatest assets, while empowering them to make lasting improvements to the organization. The book provides a robust and proven process for creating a Lean culture. It outlines a method, with defined steps, for the development of Lean Discipline Resource People that will help associates achieve "expert status" in the core Lean principles of 5S Visual Management, Value Stream Mapping, Standard Work, Total Productive Maintenance, Quick Changeover, Error Proofing, Process Problem Solving, Material Management, and Continuous Improvement.You will be able develop Lean strategies, create a Master Schedule, initiate activities for supporting goals and objectives, and complete a Train-the-Trainer class as well as achieve facilitation skills to teach, communicate, guide, and lead Lean overview training as well as comprehensive subject-matter training. In addition, you will understand how the Lean Discipline Expert process can help to support associate involvement at all levels and learn where and how the nine principles overlap and interact. By engaging and empowering various levels of associates throughout the organization, you will provide strength and ownership for your business and, most importantly, your associates. The book includes access to additional resources on the book's page at www.crcpress.com. It includes a tracking mechanism for monitoring candidate progress, facilitation feedback forms, LDE checklists, and certificates of accomplishment you can use to acknowledge associates that achieve Lean Discipline Expert status.

The fact that a process produces garbage is a testament to design inefficiency, and this book explains how to use the nature of that garbage to pinpoint and eliminate those inefficiencies. Lean Waste Stream: Reducing Material Use and Garbage Using Lean Principles supplies an unprecedented look at how to address business waste in a manner that will improve your organization's environmental and financial performance.Tackling the problem of business garbage from a Lean perspective, the book maintains a focus on how to minimize garbage in ways that cut costs. It considers the problem of garbage in terms of transportation, inventory, and labor costs with an effort to connect reductions in garbage production at all stages with lower operating costs and improved productivity.Explaining how to use garbage analysis as a tool to identify the problems in process flow that produced the garbage, this book describes how to look downstream for options to reuse, repurpose, and recycle garbage to minimize landfill impact and costs. The text includes practical exercises with step-by-step instructions, as well as real-world examples that illustrate how specific wastes have been dealt with profitably by various organizations.

A facilitator has been traditionally defined as someone who helps a group of people understand their objectives, and assists them in planning to achieve them, without taking a position in the discussion. Recently, the International Standards Organization's (ISO's) implementation and other long-term, multi-year team involvement has challenged neutrality in all cases and has created a new type of facilitator, the results facilitator.The Results Facilitator: Expert, Manager, Mentor identifies the skills, training, and education that today's facilitators must possess. Outlining the new role of the facilitator, it presents powerful tools and techniques that can help facilitators achieve success. Continuous learning is a must and should follow the model-Learn-Practice-Evaluate-Act.The book demonstrates the use of Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for measuring progress toward achieving the objectives of a long-term program. It also supplies authoritative guidance on how to effectively plan, conduct, and complete meeting responsibilities. What can go wrong for a facilitator is outlined and methods to eliminate or mitigate these undesired situations are shown.The text details the core competencies that have been established by the International Institute for Facilitators (INIFAC) as well as the International Association of Facilitators (IAF). It shows where improvements can be made in each and recommends a joint IAF and INIFAC effort to consolidate into one facilitator's competency list.The book explains the need for an additional phase to the Tuckman's Group Dynamic Model. It shows several coaching processes including how to use the Toyota Production System's Kata for team improvement. The chapters have a facilitator exercise at the ends to help the reader apply their new knowledge to build their confidence and knowledge.

Winner of a Shingo Research and Professional Publication Award The new edition of this Shingo Prize-winning bestseller provides critical insights and approaches to make any Lean transformation an ongoing success. It shows you how to implement a sustainable, successful transformation by developing a culture that has your stakeholders throughout the organizational chart involved and invested in the outcome. It teaches you how to successfully navigate the politics in cross-functional process improvement projects, and to engage executives in ways that are personally meaningful to them. If you are a leader at any level in an organization undergoing or considering a Lean transformation, this is where you should start and finish and start again.Read the Reviews:"This book became an instant classic in the literature of professional operations. In this third edition, David Mann updates and expands his teaching with five additional years of valuable experience and expertise derived from his very active, multi-industry consultancy. I have benefitted greatly from his writing and wholeheartedly recommend this book to be top-of-the desk of any serious Lean practitioner or performance transformation leader." Raymond C. Floyd, two-time Shingo Prize Winner, President and CEO, Plasco Energy Group"David Mann builds substantially on his seminal work on the Lean management system. The book is full of new insight and polishes the most important ideas about Lean management. The new chapter on engaging executive leadership alone is worth the price of the book." Peter Ward, Richard M. Ross Professor and Chair, Department of Management Science, Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University"This book has long been my go-to guide on Lean management practices that help create a culture of continuous improvement and excellence. I have recommended the book to countless healthcare leaders who rave about how he

The problem with most Hoshin Kanri books is that they describe a complex methodology that is overwhelming to most leaders and their organizations. The need to essentially change the culture of the entire organization to make Hoshin work isn t practical for most companies when first starting out.The Basics of Hoshin Kanri uses an easy-to-follow story format to simplify and explain Hoshin Kanri a method for strategy deployment. Supplying clear descriptions of the steps of Hoshin Kanri, it advocates using Hoshin as an important tool for improving an organization s existing planning and execution system while simultaneously moving the culture of the organization forward.The book provides readers with a new understanding of Hoshin Kanri as a powerful deployment system for strategic planning, defining a direction and priorities, and aligning the organization around that direction. It begins by telling the story of a manufacturing executive that uses a simple Hoshin Kanri approach to make significant change in his personal life.Next, the book illustrates how this executive prepares to apply Hoshin Kanri to deploy strategy within his business. It concludes by presenting fascinating excerpts from the author s own interviews with experts in the field of Hoshin Kanri. All business leaders want their organizations to be "great" in all respects, but the reality is that they must get to "good" before they can consider becoming "great."

Does your organization provide customer satisfaction or does it inspire customer loyalty? Which is more important? See how lessons learned from the service sector were applied to manufacturing and other diverse settings, including the nonprofit sector and even on one's own home front.Exploring the Kano Model, The Customer-Driven Organization: Employing the Kano Model explains why just meeting customer needs is no longer enough for today's organizations. It explains how to identify true customers both internal and external.Readers will learn how to directly apply Kano principles in their own business environments or personal lives, to establish priorities, increase efficiency, improve communication, and expand on existing relationships.The book explains how to establish a value proposition for your organization and, more importantly, how and when to provide "delightful" service. Demonstrating how to incorporate the Kano philosophy into your day-to-day activities, this book is a must-read for any organization or individual looking to do more with less by achieving a truly customer-driven focus.

It is estimated that U.S. manufacturers are currently operating at only 65 percent effectiveness in implementing Lean production. Covering the fundamentals needed to be competitive in today's marketplace, Beyond Lean Production: Emphasizing Speed and Innovation to Beat the Competition provides readers with the tools to help their organizations achieve 100 percent effectiveness in Lean production.Explaining that overseas factories can't compete with U.S. factories in speed of delivery to domestic customers, the book provides the understanding required to add speed and urgency in all that you do in the office and the factory. It explains how to eliminate waste so you can meet and even exceed your customers expectations regarding service, quality, and cost.The book is organized into two phases. The first phase, Holding Actions, covers the fundamentals needed to hold your position against the competition until you can implement the methods described in phase II of the book. It presents 12 little-known tools and strategic weapons that you can immediately put to use to improve on your current competitive position. Phase II, The Business Command Center, presents unique and powerful concepts that can be used with the fundamentals covered in phase I.Explaining how to use speed as a competitive weapon, the book will help you to remove the obstacles that interfere with continuous flow manufacturing. It presents the concept of circulatory management that can put a stop to the ever-increasing layers of management with decreasing ownership.By implementing the holding action and the business command center described in this book, you can significantly improve your odds of beating the competition at home and overseas.

Although there are many organizations that have implemented Lean production systems and become more profitable as a result, there can be a gap between what those organizations currently do and how they should plan for and profit from new business. Capitalizing on Lean Production Systems to Win New Business: Creating a Lean and Profitable New Product Portfolio explains how to create a Lean product portfolio to fill that gap so you can become more profitable from that new business.Providing a fundamental understanding of the Lean enterprise production system, this book can help an organization take its current Lean knowledge and translate that knowledge into a step-by-step methodology to win and launch new business. Lean topics covered include: Value Stream Mapping Plan for Every Part Process Design and Standard Work Scheduling and Material Flow Machine Changeover Quality and Continuous Improvement By developing the New Product Acquisition and Launch Portfolio presented in this book, you can dramatically improve your ability to produce the products customers desire and deliver them on time. Focusing on the concepts that are critical to the longevity of your Lean enterprise system, this book will help you understand how to deliver a product that meets the quality and delivery standards of your customer. It will also help you understand how this new product fits into your Lean enterprise system.Detailing how to achieve a successful new product launch through upfront planning, this book provides you with the tools to enhance efficiencies throughout your supply chain.

If you've employed consultants and embarked on a Lean transformation only to find your efforts stall after the consultants leave, this book will teach you what you must do to stay the course over the long term. Using a compelling novel format, Sustainable Lean: The Story of a Cultural Transformation illustrates the process of implementing a sustainable Lean transformation. The book follows Jim, the plant manager of an electronics firm that has already seen its first Lean initiative fail. Jim realizes that if he doesn't act quickly, his job and the jobs of everyone in the factory might be in jeopardy. Jim meets a Lean consultant who agrees to help him implement and sustain a new transformation. Readers follow along as Jim learns invaluable lessons that help him and his plant see costs plummet, on-time delivery reach nearly 100 percent, and defects drop by close to 80 percent.Using simple terms and an ongoing example, the book demonstrates how to use top-down metrics to identify strategic and tactical opportunities for improvement. It describes how to conduct Hoshin Kanri (strategic policy deployment). It also describes the relationship between top-down metrics, organizational accountability, the breaking down of "stovepipes," and the concept of "alignment" that comes about as the result of Hoshin Kanri. Detailing a data-driven methodology to help you set boundaries for effective decision making, this book will inspire manufacturers to achieve world-class production and efficiency standards one factory, one business at a time.

Things that are good for the planet are also good for business. Numerous studies from the likes of the Economist Intelligence Unit, Harvard, MIT Sloan, and others indicate that organizations that commit to goals of zero waste, zero harmful emissions, and zero use of nonrenewable resources clearly outperform their competition.Like lean thinking, greening your business is not just a nice to have ; at least not anymore. It is now a key economic driver for many forward looking firms. This book is packed with case studies and examples that illustrate how leading firms use lean and green as simultaneous sources of inspiration in various sectors of industry - from automotive and retail to textile and brewing. Take Toyota as an example, the holy grail of economic efficiency for decades. This book, shows that Toyota tops the green chart too, describing Toyota s notion of Monozukuri: sustainable manufacturing.Creating a Lean and Green Business System: Techniques for Improving Profits and Sustainability offers opportunities for innovation that can simultaneously reduce dependence on natural resources and enhance global prosperity. It explores less understood aspects of lean and green discussing their evolution independently as well as the opportunities that exist in their integration, highlighting the importance of a cultural shift across the whole company.Outlining a systematic way to eliminate harmful waste while generating green value, the book explains how to: Become economically successful and environmentally sustainable by adopting the lean and green business system model Adopt a systematic approach to become lean and green, and develop your own roadmap to success Use the cutting edge tools, techniques, and methodologies developed by the authors Translate the techniques and culture that underpin lean into environmental improvements Creating a Lean and Green Business System:

Whatever their discipline, engineers are routinely called upon to develop solutions to all kinds of problems. To do so effectively, they need a systematic and disciplined approach that considers a range of alternatives, taking into account all relevant factors, before selecting the best solution. In Problem Solving for Engineers, David Carmichael demonstrates just such an approach involving problem definition, generation of alternative solutions, and, ultimately, the analysis and selection of a preferred solution. David Carmichael introduces the fundamental concepts needed to think systematically and undertake methodical problem solving. He argues that the most rational way to develop a framework for problem solving is by using a systems studies viewpoint. He then outlines systems methodology, modeling, and the various configurations for analysis, synthesis, and investigation. Building on this, the book details a systematic process for problem solving and demonstrates how problem solving and decision making lie within a systems synthesis configuration. Carefully designed as a self-learning resource, the book contains exercises throughout that reinforce the material and encourage readers to think and apply the concepts. It covers decision making in the presence of uncertainty and multiple criteria, including that involving sustainability with its blend of economic, social, and environmental considerations. It also characterizes and tackles the specific problem solving of management, planning, and design. The book provides, for the first time, a rational framework for problem solving with an engineering orientation.

In 1791, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton wrote that "not only the wealth, but the independence and security of a country, appear to be materially connected with the prosperity of manufacturers." Centuries later, U.S. manufacturing jobs continue to be outsourced at an all-too-rapid pace. Examining the current U.S. manufacturing environment, including the unsustainable trade imbalance, Intelligent Manufacturing: Reviving U.S. Manufacturing Including Lessons Learned from Delphi Packard Electric and General Motors outlines concrete suggestions that can help to stop the outflow of manufacturing jobs and prosperity from our shores. The book explains why most companies have not reaped the benefits promised from the implementation of the multitude of methodologies that have inundated manufacturers and outlines the steps companies can take to reverse this trend. The author's 30-year background in engineering and manufacturing, in both national and international assignments, puts him in a unique position to supply insights on foreign competition that few are able to provide. In addition to discussing the tools and concepts with a proven history of success, the book also elaborates on what doesn't work. It presents an insider's perspective of what went horribly wrong within Delphi and GM so other manufacturing companies can avoid making the same mistakes.The book describes how to effectively set up a manufacturing system and accurately measure and control direct labor. It shares easy-to-implement tools that the author developed and implemented with proven track records for improving performance. Such tools include computer programs that can provide a competitive advantage, a proven way to reduce total process cycle time, and a scientific way to establish proper lot sizes.Instead of presenting a lot of theory, the author provides ideas based on common sense and practical experience. The concepts and tools outline

Professional certification has become a very popular topic and a significant number of individuals are making it a priority. Some people are torn on whether or not to obtain a certification to bolster their career. Others see the advantage of diversifying their professional portfolio and pursuing popular certifications in the areas of Project Management, Information Technology, Quality, or Human Resources. The Basics of Achieving Professional Certification: Enhancing Your Credentials provides clear-cut guidance on how to select a certification that is right for you and how you can continue to build your credentials in support of personal and professional goals. This easy-to-use guide can help anyone looking to achieve professional certification make informed decisions about the many options available. It can also help avoid the pitfalls of making the wrong choice as a result of being incorrectly informed. Examining the range of professional certifications offered by associations and organizations, it explains how to select the right professional certification and outlines best practices for completing the certification process. The book includes a CD that represents more than a year of development between resources in the U.S. and Europe. Packed with tools, it supplies permanent access to a suite of helpful training and development software, including: Library management system to track training material, books, and related items (created in MS Access) Learning management system to ensure training compliance (created in MS Access) A number of project management resources, including a comprehensive exam preparation program Royalty free multimedia resources to add pizzazz to your e-learning programs Forms, templates, and checklists to support training administration Tools to help evaluate training programs Software to make training

Healthcare organizations that have already applied Lean thinking to their processes, with the diligence of effective management and strong leadership support, are now realizing the benefits of their efforts. And, many of those benefits surpass what was thought possible just a few years ago. To be successful, these organizations had to provide the leadership to arrive at their future state.Written by a Shingo Prize-winning author and Lean sensei, Lean Leadership for Healthcare: Approaches to Lean Transformation explains how to apply Lean improvement to both clinical and non-clinical processes. It presents valuable lessons learned by the author over the years of leading improvements in this complex industry and lays out a clear roadmap for initiating your Lean improvements. Illustrating the leadership behaviors required to achieve sustainable success, the book is ideal for leaders in the healthcare industry looking to initiate Lean improvements to clinical and non-clinical processes. It reviews the fundamentals of Lean and explains how to link a strategy of continuous improvement to corporate strategy to achieve operational excellence. It also describes how to mitigate the risk of failure when undergoing large-scale corporate change including what can go wrong and how to prevent these failures.The book includes case studies that share the time-tested insights of healthcare team members and leaders. It outlines a management system for sustaining your Lean improvements and provides the Lean leadership approaches, thoughts, and visual tools you'll need to guide your organization along the path toward world-class healthcare performance.

Following in the footsteps of its popular predecessor, the second edition of this workbook explains how to apply kanban replenishment systems to improve material flow. Kanban for the Supply Chain: Fundamental Practices for Manufacturing Management, Second Edition provides readers with a detailed roadmap for achieving a successful and sustainable kanban implementation.Detailing the steps required for each stage of the manufacturing and supply chain management process, this updated edition focuses on creating an environment for success. It addresses internal mechanisms, including leveling production schedules, as well as external elements, such as conducting a thorough analysis of customer demand. Numerous techniques are presented for setting up kanban that consider a wide array of material types, dimensions, and storage media. This edition presents a wealth of new tools and techniques useful across the broad spectrum of manufacturing environments, including: A statistical data cleansing technique to remove questionable or irrelevant data from kanban calculations Correlation analysis based on simple Excel techniques to guide the decisions around which part numbers "qualify" for kanban An alternative "stair-step analysis" approach for those who are unable to generate correlation data and prefer to use more readily available monthly demand history An approach to analyze supplier performance data vs. lead time and lot size expectations, with risk mitigation strategies for poor performing suppliers This book is for those who are ready to stop thinking about a conversion from materials requirements planning push techniques to kanban pull techniques and want to make it happen now. Stephen Cimorelli provides actionable advice for installing fundamental kanban concepts that can immediately help you increase manufacturing productivity and profitability. The book includes team-based exercises

The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award is the highest level of national recognition for performance excellence that a U.S. organization can receive. Now in its 18th edition, Baldrige Award Winning Quality is still the most widely used and recognized book on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. It provides readers with a simple, yet comprehensive resource, for understanding the most current criteria for this prestigious business performance award.The definitive resource for helping companies achieve world-class results, Baldrige Award Winning Quality 18th Edition: How to Interpret the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence is the only book on the Baldrige criteria to detail, in simple and straightforward language, every category, examination item, and area to address. From understanding the scoring system to preparing for a site visit, it guides you through all stages in the process. Reflecting the new criteria (2013-2014) that address education and healthcare, this edition outlines a comprehensive plan that is suitable for any company in any industry.Offering detailed explanations of each of the 17 "Examination Items" and the 36 "Areas to Address" that compose the seven major categories, the book reveals exactly what examiners look for in each area and suggests what you need to include. It also discusses: Criteria of leadership and the role of senior management in the award process Importance of a long- and short-term strategic plan Where and how to satisfy the requirements for demonstrating effective "process" and "results" Lists of state award programs based on the Baldrige criteria Core values and themes that underlie the award How to weigh the importance of the 36 "Areas to Address" The significance of the Baldrige scoring scale, and its role in achieving performance excellence The book devotes a chapter to supplying a

Traditional accounting systems have become inadequate for today's increasingly competitive global manufacturing environment. They are too complex and too focused on past performance. As manufacturing techniques change and become less labor intensive, accounting methods must also evolve. Regardless of what you call it, Lean accounting is a management accounting system that should be part of every worker's daily activities. The Controller as Lean Leader: A Novel on Changing Behavior with a Lean Cost Management System delineates the differences between cost accounting and cost management. It uses a story format to present a compilation of experiences; some good, some bad, and some humorous. The story follows a fictional manufacturing entity embarking on a Lean change management journey for the second time having failed at its first attempt at Lean implementation a few years earlier. As the story progresses, readers gain an understanding of what the company will do differently this time around to ensure it doesn't slip backward again as the transformation unfolds. Illustrates the various approaches to Lean implementation Explains Target Costing and describes how to use it to get your budget right the first time around Examines the concept of systems and the importance of defining values in your business Describes what the purpose of a Lean Human Resources (HR) system should be Introduces, with visuals, the little-known importance of the timing of the implementation and integration of the four integral parts of the Lean Cost Management System with the five Lean principles The main character, the Lean Controller, presents her ideas with visuals throughout the book. Discussions between the Lean controller and employees at various levels of the organization illustrate valuable lessons. The many faces of the Lean Controller as expressed thro

Accessible to the Lean novice and shop floor employee, The Basics of Line Balancing and JIT Kitting explores line balancing and the pre-assembly of components into a finished product in a just-in-time fashion (JIT Kitting). It explains how to use time studies, develop yamazumi charts, discover and eliminate waste, balance your line, and create new standard work content for the shop floor. The book facilitates a clear understanding of the seven deadly wastes (muda) as well as what you can do to eliminate them from your facility. Describing the purpose and use of standard work, it explains how to properly staff work cells and how to develop flex plans for fluctuations in demand using this data. The first few chapters explain how to determine takt time and how to use that information along with time studies to identify when you are not meeting customer demand.The chapters on JIT Kitting explain how there are other advantages to kitting besides eliminating waste and increasing productivity. The book explains how you can use JIT Kitting to improve quality by having the parts available and limiting the options of numerous parts to the operator. It also provides the understanding needed to ensure the right parts are installed, thereby correcting issues with the build of materials.

The biggest competitive advantage an organization can achieve comes from the synergies created by employees skilled in enhancing organizational dynamics. The Seven Kata: Toyota Kata, TWI, and Lean Training supplies time-tested tools and advice to help readers adapt to changing conditions and outcompete their rivals. It explains why a mix of the skill sets that Training Within Industry (TWI) and the Toyota Kata (behavior patterns) teach is the ideal recipe to boost organizational synergies and enhance any Lean transformation. Winner of a 2013 Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence! Bridging the kata/TWI nexus, the book lays out a road map for Lean success. It devotes a chapter to each of the Seven Kata and suggests possible courses of action dependent on your organization's strengths and constraints. Bringing together valuable information on many of the disjointed Lean practices, it explains key Lean concepts, including gemba walks, genchi gembutsu, and PDCA. After introducing kata, it reveals the different kata inherent in the three major TWI courses and the TWI Job Safety course. It illustrates the value stream analysis relationship to the kata and the kata relationship to TWI. It also demonstrates how to use kata to solve the problems identified in your value stream analysis while simultaneously conditioning your employees adaptive thinking patterns. Supplying a clear understanding of exactly where the seven kata apply in your Lean journey, the authors include helpful guidelines for coaching a kata. They also highlight mistakes they have experienced or witnessed so you can avoid the same pitfalls. As globalism continues to make management's organizational skills a competitive differentiator, this book provides you with the tools to use the seven kata to place your orga

Move beyond Value Stream Mapping and Create Your Lean Future In Creating Your Lean Future State: How to Move from Seeing to Doing, Tom Luyster, with Don Tapping, details the implementation of lean after the creation of current and future state maps. This book is a follow-up to the successful Value Stream Management: Eight Steps to Planning, Mapping and Sustaining Lean Improvements. It follows the case study of a manufacturing company that has already created a Future State Map, with the authors showing step-by-step how to focus on key information, visually manage product flow, and level production. Get the benefits promised by your future state map, and implement a lean system that will stick without backsliding.

By reconfiguring your traditional assembly lines into production cells based on one-piece flow, you can drastically reduce your lead time, staffing requirements, and number of defects. Kenichi Sekine studied under the late Shigeo Shingo and is responsible for many recent advances in the deployment of the Toyota Production System in Japan. In this comprehensive book, Sekine provides an in-depth education into the why's and how's of the restructuring process. Sekine first examines the basic principles of process flow building, then offers detailed case studies of how various industries designed unique one-piece flow systems (parallel, L-shaped, and U-shaped floor plans) to meet their particular needs. One-Piece Flow describes each step in the process of establishing one-piece flow and: (1) provides ample "test your skills" worksheets that guide you through the solution of problems, and (2) includes over 300 illustrations and 14 single-page case studies that show how to cut assembly personnel in various industries. With this book, plant managers will learn how to eliminate overstaffing waste and build a multi-skilled work force equipped to support JIT manufacturing. The book includes: Basic concept of one-piece production Case studies Process razing techniques U-shaped cells for assembly lines Techniques for removing waste from factories Establishing one-piece flow at a factory that produces small lots on a customer-order basis "Single" delivery at MYNAC

This is the Participant Guide to support team leaders in implementing an autonomous maintenance team. This is usually sold with Autonomous Maintenance: Shopfloor TPM Implementation. This is for extra copies.

Equipment downtime can bring a lean manufacturing operation to a complete standstill. Total productive maintenance (TPM) is such a fundamental part of becoming lean because a machine failure at one step of a continuous flow process will halt all the steps before and after it. Strategies aimed at eliminating downtime are essential in any operation in which the processes require the use of complex machinery and equipment. TPM: Collected Practices and Cases provides a variety of case studies taken from articles previously published in Lean Manufacturer Advisor: the monthly newsletter by Productivity Press.

This dictionary, specific to lean business processes, contains over 500 terms used in lean management and manufacturing. Easy to access, accurate, and comprehensive, LeanSpeak will become the desktop tool of choice for lean manufacturing practitioners, from the shop floor to the corner office. Here are some examples of entries in LeanSpeak: gemba: Japanese word of which the literal translation is "the real place." In the manufacturing field, gemba means the shop floor, where the actual product is being made, as contrasted to the office, where support services are provided. lean: shorthand to refer to a lean manufacturing system, of which the Toyota Production System is the foremost example, that has relatively little non-value-adding waste and maximum flow. The term has been used pejoratively to refer to anti-labor practices intending to reduce the number of workers within a company and to strong-arm tactics with suppliers. takt time: the rate at which product must be turned out to satisfy market demand. It is determined by dividing the available production time by the rate of customer demand. For example, if customers demand 240 widgets per day and the factory operates 480 minutes per day, takt time is two minutes. If customers want two new products designed per month, takt time is two weeks. It is a calculated number, not a reflection of your capability. It sets the pace of production to match the rate of customer demand. Also available as an ebook in Microsoft Reader, Adobe Acrobat Reader, or Palm Reader formats.