The Paradox of Lean Outsourcing
9 August 2006
"Lean Outsourcing" Now there's a term you don't hear every day. Most of us have been focusing on lean as a way to avoid outsourcing…
Whirlpool, Sealy, and the Nike Factor
7 August 2006
Two stories caught my eye last week which helped demonstrate the dichotomy in lean thinking today. The first was Whirlpool's announcement that the…
More Adventures in Customer Service
5 August 2006
Several months ago I told you about several customer service adventures I had recently experienced. Some good, some bad, some exceptional, and even on…
Toucan Sam to the Rescue
1 August 2006
I wonder if the marketing whizzes at Ford read the NAM/McGladrey report on success factors for manufacturing companies, where the #1 best practices wa…
Forget Bankers... Think About Lean
31 July 2006
NAM, The Manufacturing Institute, and RSM McGladrey just published a 62 page report on The Future Success of Small and Medium Sized Manufacturers. We&…
Next Stop: Africa
28 July 2006
I can almost feel the consternation in the outsourcing think tanks at the strategy departments of narrow-minded companies and consultants all over Nor…
There's That Innovation Word Again...
26 July 2006
Apparently every serious business article these days must include the word "innovation". So I guess it's about time I wrote something se…
Listening to the Vocal Minority
25 July 2006
How much do you know about how employees view your improvement programs? I just came across some interesting links to Bill's post on Dell getting…