But Can GM's Robots Conduct?
21 May 2008
A couple years ago we commented on an advertisement for General Motors during the Super Bowl. To very briefly describe the script, a line full of rob…
Self-Segregating People Flow
13 May 2008
Against their own initial opinion, the Transportation Security Administration is testing a new method for queueing airport security lines. In an effo…
Others Forget About People
8 May 2008
A few days ago we told you again about the importance of people to a lean manufacturing transformation. Now a few examples of how most consultants an…
Fujio Cho Reminds Us About People
2 May 2008
Regular readers know that we often harp on the fact that most lean manufacturing efforts fail because one key pillar of lean, respect for people, is f…
Respect by Retrain Not Replace
6 April 2008
Thanks to regular reader Mark for pointing me to this editorial in Computer World, discussing companies that react to changing markets by replacing em…
If Only Boeing Still Had Employees
25 March 2008
Hindsight can be 20:20, even if you don't know it. Earlier this month a group of Boeing "officials" visited a Lexus dealership in Richm…
Don't Forget Rule #1
24 March 2008
There are a small number of cardinal rules for an effective lean transformation. One of them is "lean initiatives will not result in laying off…
A Culture of Waste Elimination
20 March 2008
The other day I quoted Mike Hoseus from CQPO. He is co-author of the Toyota Culture book. There is a another story that he shares in the book about th…