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.

We have reached a point in the industrial revolution where, because of advanced technology, many things we were taught have become obsolete. Against worldwide competition, there is danger that American industrial processes could become obsolete at any time. Unless we rethink how we run our businesses, we may find ourselves heading into bankruptcy.

Keep an open mind as you read this book. Ask yourself where you could use these ideas. Brainstorm and write them down with target dates. I want to highlight two key points: It is not that executives do not know what to do that causes a crisis-it is their failure to take timely action. The most overlooked, under-utilized tool that management has is passion to follow through with their plans. If you show a passion for success, it will be contagious to all your people. If you fail to do so, your people will see this as "just another project of the month." I believe industrial America can win the worldwide war of business by doing the homework, utilizing the talent, and implementing change.

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.