Continuous generation and implementation of ideas is critical to creating an environment that helps foster the development of improvement techniques. The Basics of Idea Generation provides a cost-effective method that can help inspire employees to consistently identify and implement new ideas, using a proven five-step process. The process starts by creating an opportunity statement. From there the method then has one collect raw materials, before holding an idea workout, and then evaluating the idea. Implementation is the final step. The author also explains the 20 tools that help complete each step, along with solutions to overcoming the barriers to creativity.

Lean Transformations for Small and Medium Enterprises: Lessons Learned from Italian Businesses summarizes two decades of research, teaching, and practice on lean thinking. Based on quantitative analysis of 100 cases of Lean transformations and 20 in-depth case studies of successfully transformed SMEs, it explains how to undertake lean transformations that lead to operational and financial performance improvement, and uses the Lean Transformation Framework --conceptualized by John Shook at the Lean Enterprise Institute as a practical approach to design and de-risk the transformation process. SMEs leaders wishing to undertake and sustain a lean transformation must: Make a serious and lasting commitment to transform, avoiding the temptation to change course of action; Choose accurately the value streams that require improvement as defined by strategy deployment; Build capabilities to sustain the transformation; Lead by example by going to gemba and creating a culture of respect for people that goes beyond the visible devices and artifacts of Lean tools.

There is a seismic shift underway in the employer/employee relationship that is redefining the nature of jobs and careers. Sole proprietors and independent contractors now represent more than 20 percent of the workforce, and that number is expected to reach nearly 50 percent within the next 10 years.Despite the proliferation of people engaging in freelance and contract work, however, the path to success is not always easy. Free Agent: The Independent Professional's Roadmap to Self-Employment Success details a pragmatic action plan to help you succeed in this new skills marketplace.Supplying practical strategies to help you get ahead of the change and become an in-demand resource with a steady stream of income, the book describes how work is changing and what is driving the growth of freelancing. Next, it explains how to get your new independent venture off the ground, how to find your first client, and what you need to know to avoid common pitfalls.To transition successfully from employee to free agent, you must have a plan to avoid the pitfalls and a support team to give you the expertise on complicated topics such as business structure, contracts, and accounting. This book is your guide to successfully navigating the transition.Detailing the tools and practices that will enable you to succeed as a free agent, the book includes case studies and interviews with those who have already made the transition. The book concludes by describing how to optimize your new freelance work style to make the most of your time and energy, so you can focus on doing more of what you love.

Make Your Business a Lean Business is a written by business leaders for business leaders as a how-to guide to building enduring market leadership. Written by authors with more than 60 years' experience applying Lean to operations and businesses, this book will allow readers to understand Lean principles and apply practices to transform their business. It also Shows readers how to transform their business to a Lean business using Lean philosophy, values, practice, and tools Is a comprehensive Lean Enterprise Operational Management System implementation guide that defines the Lean Enterprise Business Model Uses personal author experiences throughout the book to illuminate and reinforce concepts and practices Provides insights and a roadmap so executives can take immediate action to start building a Lean business Readers will be able follow a logical path aligning their business from strategy to detailed activity, thereby engaging their entire organization in becoming more competitive. It is the only true enterprise book about applying Lean to the entire business, and it provides business leaders with the understanding, approach, and tools to plan, align, and transform their business starting with their core business value proposition, business planning, disciplined goal and resource alignment, and implementation management.

Sustainable product design is more than eco design: it goes beyond 'green' to consider the work environment, community impacts, consumer health, and economic viability, as well as environmental attributes. "Beyond Child's Play" explores the concept of sustainable product design in the context of the global doll-making industry. To initiate this research, the author reviewed eco design parameters and developed criteria for sustainable product design in the doll-making industry. Using this framework, she conducted three case studies of do I making: the American Girl doll produced in China, the Kathe Kruse doll produced in Germany and the Q'ewar Project doll produced in Peru. Themes emerged from this research that have relevance beyond the doll-making industry: the value of making a product with care; designing work for human dignity; intention and vision for sustainability; the implications of materials choices; and, transparency and sustainability. Sustainable product design calls for fundamentally new thinking. By connecting the term 'sustainable' to 'product', we raise expectations for a radically different approach to design, production, and consumption. This framework integrates the eco design principles of detoxification and dematerialization with the principle of 'humanization', to ensure that the work environment where the product is made is safe and healthy and that local communities benefit from production. This approach places increased responsibility on the industrial designer and decision-makers throughout the supply chain, including governments, corporations, and citizens. Sustainable product design can be implemented effectively only when systems are in place that support sustainable production and consumption.

Based on the author's years of experience working with Toyota's master teachers and with companies in the midst of great change, this book follows the story established in the Shingo Prize-winning book, Andy & Me: Crisis & Transformation on the Lean Journey. In a cool and readable style, Andy & Me and the Hospital: Further Adventures on the Lean Journey follows Tom Pappas's relationship with Andy Saito, a reclusive retired Toyota guru. Tom and Andy are pulled into a major New York City hospital in crisis. Can they translate and apply Toyota's powerful methods and thinking to save the hospital from disaster? Using a compelling novel format, the book demonstrates how to apply Lean thinking in a healthcare setting. It illustrates the situations, characters, and plant politics you will most likely face as you progress through your Lean healthcare journey. As the story unfolds, you will discover the way of thinking and behavioral changes required to implement proven Toyota Production System (TPS) methods, tools, and thinking in healthcare. You will learn: What a Lean transformation in a hospital should look like The overall approach you need to take The leadership and behavioral changes required How to improve processes and better develop and engage people How to build and sustain a Lean management system How to translate and apply Deming's "profound system of knowledge" This book provides clear and simple guidance on what it takes to successfully implement Toyota methods in healthcare settings. It shares helpful insights on how the different elements need to fit together to deliver measurable process improvement results. Just like its bestselling predecessors, this book includes study questions after each chapter to support learning and to facilitate discussion in workshops or classroom settings.

Despite the growing demand for design strategies to reduce our petroleum use, no one has yet brought together the lessons of the world's leading post-petroleum designers into a single resource. Post-Petroleum Design brings them together for the first time. Readers will be introduced to the most current, innovative, plastic-and petroleum-free products and projects in industrial design, architecture, transportation, electronics, apparel and more. Post-Petroleum Design explores firsthand the client and consumer motivations behind the demand, and shares the case studies, principles, best practices, risks and opportunities of the world's leading post-petroleum design experts who are already meeting that demand. It introduces 40 inspiring individuals from across the globe; people like Eben Bayer, the American innovator whose company, Ecovative, is growing houses from mushrooms; Mohammed Bah Abba, whose Zeer Pot is helping families keep produce fresh in the sweltering Nigerian summer without electricity; and the engineers at Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studios whose Biome car evolves from genetically engineered DNA. Post-Petroleum Design gives design professionals the information they need to research, evaluate, and select materials, technologies and design strategies that meet the growing demand for sustainable design, plastic-free materials and process energy conservation. Designer profiles, studies, statistics and many colour illustrations all highlight the work-some of the best design work to be found anywhere, and showcased here for the first time.

An essential addition to the Earthscan Planning & Installing series, Planning and Installing Micro-Hydro Systems provides vital diagrams, pictures and tables detailing the planning and installing of a micro-hydro system, including information on the maintenance and economics once an installation is running. The book covers subjects such as measuring head and flow, ecological impacts, scheme layouts, practical advice, calculations and turbine choice. Archimedes screws are also covered in detail, as well as the main conventional choices relevant to small sites.

Micro-hydro refers to hydropower systems with a power rating of 100kW or less. A 100kW system will produce 100 standard units of electricity in one hour. These systems have been popular in some sparsely populated or mountainous countries for a number of years, but now new technology, less stringent regulation of grid connected generators and standardised turbine designs are encouraging more widespread interest in micro-hydro in the developed world.

The renewable energy sector is growing at a remarkable rate, and whilst much attention has so far focused on solar and wind technologies, Europe and elsewhere have great potential for generating power from small scale hydroelectric installations.

This book is aimed at site owners, designers and consultants who are looking to develop schemes in the micro-hydro scale 5 to 100kW although the concepts are applicable to smaller and larger schemes."

Explaining how to use Lean principles to drive innovation and strategic portfolio planning, The Innovative Lean Enterprise: Using the Principles of Lean to Create and Deliver Innovation to Customers outlines simple, yet powerful, visual Lean tools that can enhance idea generation and product development. It starts with a discussion of Lean principles and then identifies the applicable portions of Lean that can drive customer value. The book discusses customer value in the form of the benefits your customers desire. It walks you through the processes of using Lean techniques to effectively evaluate the quality of any prospective marketing opportunity and includes examples from a variety of industries, including healthcare. The text discusses value creation, reduction of waste, entrepreneurial system designer, set-based concurrent engineering, and Lean project management. It also includes numerous examples of visual management tools as they apply to innovation to help you develop the understanding required to achieve a competitive advantage for your brand, division, or company through Lean.

This text covers the latest intelligent technologies and algorithms related to the state-of-the-art methodologies of monitoring and mitigation of mechanical engineering. It covers important topics including computational fluid dynamics for advanced thermal systems, optimizing performance parameters by Fuzzy logic, design of experiments, numerical simulation, and optimizing flow network by artificial intelligence. It will serve as an ideal reference text for graduate students and academic researchers in diverse engineering fields including industrial, manufacturing, computer, mechanical, and materials science. The book- Introduces novel soft computing techniques needed to address sustainable solutions for the issues related to materials and manufacturing process. Provides perspectives for the design, development, and commissioning of intelligent applications. Discusses the latest intelligent technologies and algorithms related to the state-of-the-art methodologies of monitoring and mitigation of sustainable engineering. Explores future generation sustainable and intelligent monitoring techniques beneficial for mechanical engineering. Covers implementation of soft computing in the various areas of engineering applications. This book introduces soft computing techniques in addressing sustainable solutions for the issues related to materials and manufacturing process. It will serve as an ideal reference text for graduate students and academic researchers in diverse engineering fields including industrial, manufacturing, thermal, fluid, and materials science.

This book introduces fundamental, advanced, and future-oriented scientific quality management methods for the engineering and manufacturing industries. It presents new knowledge and experiences in the manufacturing industry with real world case studies. It introduces Quality 4.0 with Industry 4.0, including quality engineering tools for software quality and offers lean quality management methods for lean manufacturing. It also bridges the gap between quality management and quality engineering, and offers a scientific methodology for problem solving and prevention. The methods, techniques, templates, and processes introduced in this book can be utilized in various areas in industry, from product engineering to manufacturing and shop floor management. This book will be of interest to manufacturing industry leaders and managers, who do not require in-depth engineering knowledge. It will also be helpful to engineers in design and suppliers in management and manufacturing, all who have daily concerns with project and quality management. Students in business and engineering programs may also find this book useful as they prepare for careers in the engineering and manufacturing industries. Presents new knowledge and experiences in the manufacturing industry with real world case studies Introduces quality engineering methods for software development Introduces Quality 4.0 with Industry 4.0 Offers lean quality management methods for lean manufacturing Bridges the gap between quality management methods and quality engineering Provides scientific methodology for product planning, problem solving and prevention management Includes forms, templates, and tools that can be used conveniently in the field

The multi-billion-dollar microsystem packaging business continues to play an increasingly important technical role in today 's information industry. The packaging process including design and manufacturing technologies is the technical foundation upon which function chips are updated for use in application systems, and it is an important guarantee of the continued growth of technical content and value of information systems.

Introduction to Microsystem Packaging Technology details the latest advances in this vital area, which involves microelectronics, optoelectronics, RF and wireless, MEMS, and related packaging and assembling technologies. It is purposefully written so that each chapter is relatively independent and the book systematically presents the widest possible overview of packaging knowledge.

Elucidates the evolving world of packaging technologies for manufacturing

The authors begin by introducing the fundamentals, history, and technical challenges of microsystems. Addressing an array of design techniques for packaging and integration, they cover substrate and interconnection technologies, examples of device- and system-level packaging, and various MEMS packaging techniques. The book also discusses module assembly and optoelectronic packaging, reliability methodologies and analysis, and prospects for the evolution and future applications of microsystems packaging and associated environmental protection.

With its research examples and targeted reference questions and answers to reinforce understanding, this text is ideal for researchers, engineers, and students involved in microelectronics and MEMS. It is also useful to those who are not directly engaged in packaging but require a solid understanding of the field and its associated technologies.

If you currently employ knowledge workers who do most of their work on computers or with computers, access the Internet, utilize internal and external databases, use e-mail or other new messaging technology, then this book is for you. Quite simply, this handbook is for any organization with a lot of Web DNA that wishes to cut costs, improve performance, and stay perpetually competitive. It is for change agents or managers within those organizations who work with information and want to leverage the latest crop of tool sets to deliver on the promise of Lean for the modern, information-rich office.

packed with new ideas breaks new ground in so many directions .
John Bicheno, Director, Lean Enterprise Research Centre, Cardiff Business School

excellent on several levels teaches us how to visualize the depth of hidden wastes in our complex information flows and the large opportunity for improvement that this suggests.
Keith Russell, PhD, Global Continuous Improvement Leader R&D, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals

Very interesting view on operational excellence, helpful to readers without a background in this area of expertise.
Bert Nordberg, President and CEO. Sony Ericsson

Congratulations to all the readers holding this book ... These Lean ideas must be an integral part of the daily operations of your business. I am going to get each and every one of my management team a copy of this brilliant book at the start for our own Lean journey.
Lennart Kall, CEO, Wasa Kredit

It s one thing to develop a concept. It s another to make it sing. This is the hymnal.
Dr. Don V. Steward, CEO Problematics, Professor Emeritus, Sacramento State University, inventor of DSM

a must read for CIOs everywhere."
Julian Amey, Principal Fellow, Warwick University

Virtual Manufacturing presents a novel concept of combining human computer interfaces with virtual reality for discrete and continuous manufacturing systems. The authors address the relevant concepts of manufacturing engineering, virtual reality, and computer science and engineering, before embarking on a description of the methodology for building augmented reality for manufacturing processes and manufacturing systems. Virtual Manufacturing is centered on the description of the development of augmented reality models for a range of processes based on CNC, PLC, SCADA, mechatronics and on embedded systems. Further discussions address the use of augmented reality for developing augmented reality models to control contemporary manufacturing systems and to acquire micro- and macro-level decision parameters for managers to boost profitability of their manufacturing systems. Guiding readers through the building of their own virtual factory software, Virtual Manufacturing comes with access to online files and software that will enable readers to create a virtual factory, operate it and experiment with it. This is a valuable source of information with a useful toolkit for anyone interested in virtual manufacturing, including advanced undergraduate students, postgraduate students and researchers.

Intelligence-Based Medicine: Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Human Cognition in Clinical Medicine and Healthcare provides a multidisciplinary and comprehensive survey of artificial intelligence concepts and methodologies with real life applications in healthcare and medicine. Authored by a senior physician-data scientist, the book presents an intellectual and academic interface between the medical and the data science domains that is symmetric and balanced. The content consists of basic concepts of artificial intelligence and its real-life applications in a myriad of medical areas as well as medical and surgical subspecialties. It brings section summaries to emphasize key concepts delineated in each section; mini-topics authored by world-renowned experts in the respective key areas for their personal perspective; and a compendium of practical resources, such as glossary, references, best articles, and top companies. The goal of the book is to inspire clinicians to embrace the artificial intelligence methodologies as well as to educate data scientists about the medical ecosystem, in order to create a transformational paradigm for healthcare and medicine by using this emerging new technology.

In Using Hoshin Kanri to Improve the Value Stream, leading lean and quality expert Elizabeth Cudney constructs a complete how-to guide that any organization can employ to start a Lean effort correctly and keep it on track. Rooted in practical examples garnered over years of hand-on practice, she illustrates the key principles of lean and value, and then shows you how to put them to work.

Cudney points out that organizations often fail at improvement because they go after symptomatic problems rather than the faulty system-wide processes at the root of those problems. She shows you how to avoid this common misstep by using value stream mapping to create a current-state map. Done properly, this map will help everyone in your organization come to understand just how they deliver value to customers and where flawed processes cause them to fall short.

The next step is to create a future-state map that defines best processes. While that may seem easy, reaching the goals of future-state maps requires a highly disciplined effort. At this point, Hoshin Kanri -- the art of policy deployment can make a crucial impact. Hoshin Kanri encourages a systems approach that focuses on the long-term strategy of an organization. As much as defining a methodology, it inspires a positive mindset within your organization by starting with improvements that affect flow across the entire organization. In addition to improving the delivery of value, changes with broad impact will catch people s attention, encourage their involvement and increase the momentum of improvement.

Chapter by chapter, this book defines the key tools, such as Six Sigma, 5S, and mistake proofing, that your organization can employ to initiate needed process improvements.

For your lean transformation to be successful, your IT system must support it To enhance and sustain its lean journey, a company must implement information systems that fully support and enhance the lean initiative. In Easier, Simpler, Faster: Systems Strategy for Lean IT, Jean Cunningham and Duane Jones introduce a case study of an actual lean implementation involving an IT system of a mid-size manufacturer, highlighting the IT issues that they faced during their lean transformation. This compelling book fully explains: What your company should do in regard to information systems as it implements lean.The changes that will be required in the information system to make it a partner with, rather than a barrier to, your company becoming a lean manufacturer and ultimately a lean enterprise.The opportunities that will arise for the information systems team to eliminate waste and apply lean principles in its own operations. This book will provide you with a broader vision as well as a path to what a lean system environment will look like for your company.

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.

"Changeovers in 3 minutes or less! "

Picking up where Dr. Shingo's "Single Minute Exchange of Die" left off, this book streamlines the process even further to reduce changeover time, while simultaneously cutting staffing requirements in half. To instruct on how to achieve quick changeover in virtually any type of production environment, the book includes-- A succinct eight-step process for setup improvement Nine basic principles for eliminating changeover waste

The book begins by outlining the tactical principles for improving the three phases of the changeover procedure. Next it demonstrates how to improve changeover on a processing line. All of the ideas presented are based on kaizen improvements, which require very little, if any, expenditure. Process razing and the implementation of one-piece flow are also examined as means to eliminate wasteful transportation and searching.

The parameters of competition in business today are changing -- big does not necessarily beat small anymore; fast is beating slow. Agility, speed, and flexibility are the key elements of a successful strategy and execution in the corporate world as wells as in government agencies, health care, and education.. How well will your firm execute its strategy? What barriers exist that inhibit your execution? Are you keeping one eye on tomorrow's customers, while you manage those of today? These are all key questions as we strive to deliver value on an ongoing basis. Simple: Killing Complexity for a Lean and Agile Organization is about agility and simplicity, in which achieving simplicity comes from a focus on the customer. Agility begins with planning, and leadership teams must develop decent vision. Generally, leaders know what they want to do, but many organizations break down, however, I when trying to implement the action plan. With over 25 years of industry, teaching, and consulting experience, the author illustrates how organizations can: Recognize who their true customers are, and appreciate what those customers want Begin to eliminate the products, services, processes and 'work' that gets in the way of delivering value to those customers Focus people and processes towards value creation, even in what are perceived as non-customer centric operations Avoid brand confusion and the 'all things to all people' mentality The complexities of managing in today's world both obscures decision making and layers on challenges that bog an organization down, preventing leadership from understanding what their customers want. By understanding who those customers are, and what they want, leaders can focus innovation strategy and projects in ways that deliver sustainable value. Even in not-for-profit and government agencies, executing in an aligned organization can become the profitable standard business process.

With a focus on both manufacturing as well as non-manufacturing organizations, "Six Sigma Fundamentals" demystifies the Six Sigma methodology and provides the reader with a solid understanding of what defines a Six Sigma initiative. Each chapter fully addresses the concepts of the Six Sigma philosophy and explains the methodologies for real-world applications.

"Six Sigma Fundamentals" gives a comprehensive overview to the entire process - from understanding the significance of "customer requirements," the variation-reducing tools, the necessary roles and responsibilities of all employees throughout the organization, all the way to "Designing for Six Sigma" and "implementation strategy."

Click here for Six Sigma Forms
Click here for definitions of Six Sigma terminology

A facility-wide improvement initiative is expensive in terms of both time and money. Perhaps the most disappointing thing about them is that they often end up as temporary measures that may produce early results but are unsustainable in the long run. The unseen cost is that after they see such initiatives come and go, employees begin to see them as futile, temporary annoyances rather than the permanent improvements they are meant to be. The Shingo Model (TM) begins with culture informed by operational excellence principles that lead to an understanding of what aligns systems and tools and can set any organization on a path toward enterprise excellence with sustainable continuous improvement. The Shingo Model is not an additional program or another initiative to implement. Instead, it introduces Shingo Guiding Principles on which to anchor current initiatives. Ultimately, the Shingo Model informs a new way of thinking that creates the capability to consistently deliver ideal results to all stakeholders. This is enterprise excellence - the level of excellence achieved by Shingo Prize recipients. In Discover Excellence: An Overview of the Shingo Model and Its Guiding Principles, readers will learn the basics of the Shingo Model, discover the Three Insights of Enterprise Excellence (TM), and explore how the Shingo Guiding Principles inform the kind of ideal behaviors that lead to sustainable results. This book is the introduction to the Shingo Model and prepares the reader for a deeper dive into the Shingo Guiding Principles.

The packaging industry is under pressure from regulators, customers and other stakeholders to improve packaging's sustainability by reducing its environmental and societal impacts. This is a considerable challenge because of the complex interactions between products and their packaging, and the many roles that packaging plays in the supply chain. Packaging for Sustainability is a concise and readable handbook for practitioners who are trying to implement sustainability strategies for packaging. Industry case studies are used throughout the book to illustrate possible applications and scenarios. Packaging for Sustainability draws on the expertise of researchers and industry practitioners to provide information on business benefits, environmental issues and priorities, environmental evaluation tools, design for environment, marketing strategies, and challenges for the future.

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.

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.