Superfactory Archives

Superfactory.com launched in 1997, born out of my own lean journey and a desire to share what I was finding. Over fifteen years it grew into a substantial resource hub — articles, news, event listings, and a monthly e-newsletter that peaked at nearly 100,000 subscribers — before I moved on to co-found Gemba Academy in 2012.

I recently found a backup of the articles written by contributors over those years. Rather than leave them on a hard drive, I've added them here with full attribution. They hold up well and most are as relevant now (sometimes even more!) as when they were written, and deserve to be preserved.

Authors: if you'd prefer I link to the article on your own site instead, just say the word.

2004

• The Ten Commandments of Kaikaku — by Hiroyuki Hirano with comments by Norman Bodek

2005

• A Lean Walk Through History — by James Womack
• Six Problems with Performance Metrics — by Michael Bremer
• Lean in Higher Education — by Bob Emiliani
• The Fear of Change — by Norman Bodek
• Creating Basic Stability — by Art Smalley
• Hirano's Eight Conditions for Flow Production — by Norman Bodek
• Shingo's "Know Why" Hands-On Lean — by Bill Waddell
• Improving Leadership in Lean Business — by Bob Emiliani
• Taylor, Stopwatches, and Lean Manufacturing — by Bill Waddell
• The Best Factory in the World — by Norman Bodek
• Creating a Lean Culture — by Bob Emiliani
• Massachusetts General Looks to Lean — by George Taninecz
• Delphi's Sobering Message to Us All — by Bill Waddell
• TPS vs. Lean and the Law of Unintended Consequences — by Art Smalley

2006

• The People Side of Lean — by Bruce Hamilton
• The Missing Link: Driving Improvements to the P&L — by Michael Bremer
• TPS vs. Lean - Additional Perspectives — by Art Smalley
• Shigeo Shingo's Influence on TPS — by Art Smalley
• MRP R.I.P. — by Bill Waddell
• Remembering What Ohno and Shingo Said — by Bob Emiliani
• Equipment Maintenance and TPS — by Art Smalley
• TPS and Jidoka — by Art Smalley
• TWI Influence on TPS and Kaizen — by Art Smalley
• Blind to the Opportunities — by Bill Waddell
• Dr. Shigeo Shingo - The Greatest Manufacturing Consultant — by Norman Bodek
• Lean Six Sigma - An Oxymoron? — by Mike Micklewright
• Dr. Shigeo Shingo's P-Course and Contribution to TPS — by Art Smalley
• Who Can Shout Louder? — by Norman Bodek
• Supply and Da Man — by Joel Makower
• What is Kaizen? — by Bruce Hamilton
• Three Perspectives on Lean — by Malcolm Jones
• Myth-Busting Using Value Stream Maps — by Bob Emiliani
• In Pursuit of Profitable Growth — by Bill Gaw
• The Tragedy of Waste — by Bob Emiliani
• Sustaining Lean: Multiply Your Successes — by Don Kivell
• TPS: The Thinking Production System — by Dan Markovitz

2007

• Sustaining Lean: Multiplying Your Successes — by Don Kivell
• Too Much Selfish Thinking — by Bob Emiliani
• The Culture Thing — by Robert "Doc" Hall
• Discovering the Lean Supply Chain: Transforming Suppliers into Powerful Lean Differentiators — by Robert Hawkey
• Gaining Executive Buy-In for Lean — by Bob Emiliani
• Sustaining Lean: Effective Audits — by Don Kivell
• The Persistance of the Current State — by Bob Emiliani
• Sustaining Lean: The Steering Committee — by Don Kivell
• The Leadership Problem — by Bob Emiliani
• Organizational Development: The Missing Link in Lean Transformations — by Richard G. Ligus
• The Lean Job Shop — by Drew Locher
• Watch Out for the Tool Heads — by John Seddon
• Can Lean Exit the Tool Age? — by Bob Emiliani
• You've Got Too Much Time On Your Hands. Really. — by Dan Markovitz
• Lean Manufacturing - Are You Ready? — by James Cavalluzzi
• Plug Power - A Work Culture to Accelerate Innovation — by Robert "Doc" Hall
• A Japanese Study Mission — by Norman Bodek
• Lean Accounting - Beyond the Back Office — by Brian Maskell

2008

• Lean Healthcare — by Mark Graban
• The Equally Important "Respect for People" Principle — by Bob Emiliani
• How to Apply Lean Principles — by Norman Bodek
• Lean Problem Solving and Continuous Improvement of Accounting Processes — by Brian Maskell
• Dark Days for Lean Management — by Bob Emiliani
• A Great Trip to Japan — by Norman Bodek
• Attention: We Can Stop Making the Same Mistake Now — by Bob Emiliani
• Perseverance Will Pay Off — by John M. Rubio and George Koenigsaecker
• Proof of Process as Leading Indicators: Base For Lean Metrics — by Chris Powell
• Toyota Kyushu - The Manufacturing Ballet — by Kevin Meyer

2009

• The Skinny on Lean Management — by Richard Schonberger
• Frank G. Woollard: Forgotten Pioneer of Flow Production — by Bob Emiliani
• Turbulent Economy Survival Kit — by Terence Burton
• Toyota's British Influence — by Bob Emiliani
• Financial Worries? Take Action with Lean Now! — by Jean Cunningham
• The Toyota Half-Way — by Bob Emiliani
• Who Teaches the Teachers? — by Michael Ballé
• The Obstacle to Lean Accounting — by Bill Waddell
• Toyota's Dénouement — by Bob Emiliani
• The Need for Speed: Building Early Momentum on the Path to Continuous Improvement — by Tom Shaw
• Free Money, Free Love — by Bob Emiliani
• Lean Leadership - Knowledge Productivity for the 21st Century — by Michael Ballé

2010

• A Message From the Future — by Anonymous
• 25 Problems — by Jamie Flinchbaugh
• Putting Lean Into Orbit — by Bob Emiliani
• The Psychology of Lean Management — by Michael Ballé
• Better to Improve Than Be Offended — by Bob Emiliani
• Living in an Upside Down World — by Norman Bodek
• Woollard's Eighteen Principles of Flow Production — by Bob Emiliani
• Pitstop Your Changeovers — by John Henry
• Progressive Management - 100 Years of Criticism — by Bob Emiliani
• Where are the Lean Economists? — by Bob Emiliani
• Dyslexics Wanted — by Mike Micklewright
• Lean on the Hoof — by Bill Waddell

2011

• The Priority of Principles — by Bill Waddell
• Elephants are Best Eaten One Bite at a Time — by Bill Waddell
• Zenjidoka - A Simple Tool for a Complex Problem — by Norman Bodek