Article

The Anatomy of Innovation

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Shadyside enjoys a reputation for innovation, due, in part, to its recognition that finding and fixing broken processes is…

by Chet Marchwinski

Article

Takt Time Thinking for a Low-Volume High-Mix Company

Dear Gemba Coach: Our company produces custom products that cannot be easily forecast in terms of when they will be ordered, and in what format.…

by Michael Ballé

Article

The Post COVID Crisis Supply Chain: a Time to Rise (Part 2)

In a two-part call to action, LeanCor Supply Chain Group CEO Robert Martichenko says that now is the time for public and private sector leaders…

by Robert Martichenko

Article

Ask Art: What Happens When Standard Cost Accounting Meets Takt Time?

Trying to become a lean enterprise while retaining traditional standard cost accounting is an exercise in futility. It was developed for a steady state environment…

by Art Byrne

eBook

Getting Home

Getting Home is the inspiring story of a defense lawyer and a school teacher who left their careers to rebuild homes for desperate survivors but wound…

by Liz McCartney and Zack Rosenburg

Article

Learning to Help Anna Elevate Her Game

Anna was trained by NUMMI to identify and solve challenges via experiments with her team, notes Jeff Smith, sharing a story from NUMMI; she had…

by Jeff Smith

Article

Tales Of Lean, Chapter One: Facing the Problem

What is the best way for a lean coach to support and guide her team? In this fictional tale of a lean leader, Sandrine Olivencia…

Article

The Battle for the Soul of Lean

When elements of lean management began to infiltrate management ranks decades ago, a ìgreat divideî quickly formed, according to author and lean practitioner Michael BallÈ.…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Reflections From Ten Years of Michael Ballé's Gemba Coach

Since his first Gemba Coach column of ten years ago, Michael Balle has consistently tied his advice to a faithful application of core Toyota Production…

by Tom Ehrenfeld

Article

TPS or the Toyota Way?

"Students of lean are often confused by the variety of ways Toyota explains the Toyota Production System," writes Michael Ballé. "For instance, 'what is the…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Operator morale has suffered terribly since we implemented cell manufacturing, and the ideas that kaizens generate have been weak. Would you please share your insights on this situation?

Dear Gemba Coach: Operator morale has suffered terribly since we implemented cell manufacturing, and the ideas that kaizens generate have been weak. Would you please…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Five Revolutions Into the Lean Journey: What's Next?

The current pandemic serves as an opportunity for us to rethink the world of enterprise (and more), says Dan Jones. He reflects on five lean…

by Dan Jones

Article

Survive to Make Money or Make Money to Survive?

With GM’s demise becoming more real every day, many people have been asking me, “Why didn’t GM learn from Toyota when they had the perfect…

by John Shook

Article

Following Four Steps to a Lean Material-Handling System Leads to a Leap in Performance

The Delphi Delco Electronics facility in Kokomo, IN, followed a methodical four-step implementation process to replace a traditional material-handling system for purchased parts with a…

by Chet Marchwinski

Case Study

Toyota Partners with Nonprofit to Rebuild Homes and Lives

When the flood waters of Hurricane Katrina receded, they uncovered tens of thousands of ruined homes in devastated areas like St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. But…

by Chet Marchwinski

Case Study

A Journey to Value Streams: Reorganizing Into Five Groups Drives Lean Improvements and Customer Responsiveness

While many plants have used value-stream thinking and practices such as current- and future-state mapping, Parker Hannifin Corporation's New Haven, IN, plant has created a…

Article

Lean Beyond Production

Read how Lean Thinkers, using the same lean tools that worked in production, now are making improvements and benefits off the plant floor, in environments…

Article

Exploring the Technical and Nontechnical Challenges of Being a Chief Engineer, A Candid Conversation with Two CEs

Chief engineers typically have strong technical skills to effectively lead and manage the work of engineers, designers, and other developers. But perhaps their greatest talent…

by Chet Marchwinski

Article

Lean Thinking: A Look Back and a Look Forward

The meaning of lean thinking, how lean got its name, and an example of how it improved a grinding process By LEI President Jim Womack.

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

Article

I don’t get kanban -- I don’t work in production so how would it apply to one-off work?

Dear Gemba Coach: I feel that I still don’t get kanban. I don’t work in production, and I fail to see how stock replenishment would…

by Michael Ballé