Toyota Production System methods have rendered remarkable results in high-volume manufacturing plants, but they have not been fully understood and correctly applied in high-mix, low-volume environments. While lean principles do apply, the implementation methods and tools must be adapted and alternate methods embraced in a low-volume environment. This volume is specifically geared for manufacturers that have hundreds to thousands of active part numbers with few or no ongoing forecasted volumes, and for job shops that build only to order. The primary focus is eliminating non-value-added activities and instituting improvements on the most repetitive jobs, a strategy that gives you more time to produce your low-volume work or one-offs. About the author: Greg Lane is a faculty member of the Lean Enterprise Institute and an advisor to the Instituto de Lean Management in Spain. During his time with Toyota, he was one of a handful of candidates selected for a one-year training program conducted by the company's masters. He became certified as a Toyota Production System (TPS) Key Person and continued his work with Toyota, training others in TPS. He has been highly active in working on implementing lean around the world, supporting large and small companies alike. In 1998, he began to focus his lean endeavors on meeting the specific needs of high-mix, low-volume enterprises. During his time as an independent consultant, Greg purchased and operated his own manufacturing company, which specialized in fast turnaround on high-mix, low-volume parts. Greg used TPS to grow the business and nearly double its sales. Greg and his associates have experience not only at adapting the methods contained in this book, but also in applying other tools that are too numerous to detail here. They can be reached for further support with your lean transformation via email: [email protected]

This is the true story of how, armed with only Lean improvement methodologies, a specially trained Toyota Lean expert purchased a business he knew nothing about, applied Lean techniques, and succeeded in doubling sales and increasing profitability, before he finally sold the thriving business.

With humility and humor, the author recounts his successes and failures, introduces his key employees and their struggles with change, and provides motivation and simple ideas for all readers looking to improve their businesses. He captures key points highlighted in text boxes and includes illustrative photos and examples of Lean tools at work.

This story dispels the fallacy that Lean management does not achieve excellent results in high variation companies and job shops. Toyota s OSKKK methodology is introduced to understand processes and guide a Lean transformation on the shop floor and in the office.

Toyota Production System methods have rendered remarkable results in high-volume manufacturing plants, but they have not been fully understood and correctly applied in high-mix, low-volume environments. While lean principles do apply, the implementation methods and tools must be adapted and alternate methods embraced in a low-volume environment. This volume is specifically geared for manufacturers that have hundreds to thousands of active part numbers with few or no ongoing forecasted volumes, and for job shops that build only to order. The primary focus is eliminating non-value-added activities and instituting improvements on the most repetitive jobs, a strategy that gives you more time to produce your low-volume work or one-offs. About the author: Greg Lane is a faculty member of the Lean Enterprise Institute and an advisor to the Instituto de Lean Management in Spain. During his time with Toyota, he was one of a handful of candidates selected for a one-year training program conducted by the company's masters. He became certified as a Toyota Production System (TPS) Key Person and continued his work with Toyota, training others in TPS. He has been highly active in working on implementing lean around the world, supporting large and small companies alike. In 1998, he began to focus his lean endeavors on meeting the specific needs of high-mix, low-volume enterprises. During his time as an independent consultant, Greg purchased and operated his own manufacturing company, which specialized in fast turnaround on high-mix, low-volume parts. Greg used TPS to grow the business and nearly double its sales. Greg and his associates have experience not only at adapting the methods contained in this book, but also in applying other tools that are too numerous to detail here. They can be reached for further support with your lean transformation via email: [email protected]

CEO surveys indicate two-thirds of organizations fail to sustain improvements, likely because behaviors do not change, the methodology reveled in this book succeeds in creating the self-awareness necessary to sustain behavioral (i.e. cultural) changes. Not based on opinions or theories, instead developed through experimentation.Revealed are practical and successful ways to align behaviors that sustain improvements, from an author who has transformed his own business as well as others in 32 countries. This is a book to be used. D. Hines, NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORPORATION Whatever your business, manufacturing or service, if you want to do better this is an essential guidebook. T. Quick, Chair, Defence Materials Technology Centre, Australia This book gives the reader a solid approach to move ahead & I am eager to try some of the ideas with my team. G. Angelov, Director WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION is a masterful indictment on how a methodical and yet subtle awareness of an individual's culture, and influence this could have on their decision-making, can readily facilitate solid and profitable strategic objective alignment G.Cole, Director Asia M-I SWACO - A SCHLUMBERGER COMPANY It jumps the level of changing behaviors. A. Valdez, LA-Z-BOY Corporation Culturally On Plan shares a proven and successful method to lead practical change in achieving strategic objectives. It is based on recognizing patterns in human change (for example, its always the other-guy that must change) and utilizing simple self-awareness techniques to create the desire to undertake pragmatic and proven steps in aligning individual's traits and behaviors to those necessary in achieving the strategic targets. Not only will does this book clearly provide a practical & successful method to lead organizational change, but on a personal level you will also realize pragmatic non-biased ways to explore and improve your own personal traits. (note: the CEO's behavior only affects 2 of 5 categories of personality, therefore the leadership team must change) 3 underlying philosophies help keep the book centered on reality: 1.The other guy syndrome: It's always the other guy's traits that need to change. 2.People don't resist change as much as they resist BEING CHANGED 3.People's mindset (beliefs & values) have a profound influence on their decision-making. This new method in reaching strategic objectives is therefore centered on creating individual awareness of traits and behaviors and letting the various leaders compare those privately or publically to the desired traits (in reaching the objectives) and developing a Cultural Transformation Plan that reaches the level of practical and proven actions that help in changing traits. This awareness comes in the form of various individual self-assessments in the areas of behaviors, traits and decision-making abilities, to name a few. The main steps that have led to success: 1.Properly deploying the strategic objectives 2.Evolving a Cultural Transformation Plan - Assessing the desired traits and behaviors vital in supporting the strategy - Creating awareness of leadership's current traits and behaviors - Identifying opportunities & practical actions to align differences between the desired and current behaviors The book begins by exploring why two-thirds of continuous improvement transformations in the U.S. fail to sustain their results (according to CEO surveys). It then explains how the method can be practically applied resulting in successfully reaching objectives and accomplishing cultural change. Consideration is given to: Intuitive versus Analytic Thinking, Leading without Power, Creating a Learning Organization, and Leading instead of Managing, etc.