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October 2013

MYLS Newsletter: October, 2013

  • Notes from Jeff: Happy Halloween. We are giving away a Problem Solving DVD pack as a treat for one of you.
  • What’s New?: New menu. New product line (Audio Articles). Easier downloads of purchases. And more…
  • New Terms: Slow month for terms, but we do still have a few new ones for you.
  • Recent Articles: Measuring can be frustrating if you focus on things outside of your control.
  • Polls: Tell us where you think Lean will be in 10 years.
  • Frequently Asked Questions: We often hear from people wanting to track employees. Get our take on this issue.
  • Specials: Get half off on our new Audio Article Bundle, plus save big on our new Digital Rollout Pack.
  • New Products: Both products on special this month are new releases. Check out our “New Products” section to learn more.
By Jeff Hajek, ago

Tooling

Tooling is a generic term for any of the variety of equipment associated with production machines, especially ones that do fabrication. Cutting tools, dies, precision clamps, injection molds, jigs, and fixtures all fall into this category. Most companies with more than just a few production machines will have a tooling Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Measure the Things You Can Control

As I’ve mentioned in many previous articles, sports provide an outstanding backdrop to teach Lean lessons. This aspect of athletics was reinforced in a recent article in ESPN magazine. It takes a detailed look at the statistics behind one pitcher’s performance.

This player had an outstanding year in 2012. By one measure, he was responsible for adding 5.3 wins to his team. This year though, using the same metric, he is responsible for one additional loss. On the surface, this looks like a fairly significant drop in performance. The problem though, is…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Shop Floor

“Shop floor” is a generic term used to describe the work areas where production is done. The terminology is important because there has been a migration of Lean from the shop floor to office, healthcare, and other service environments. Because there are differences in the way some tools are applied Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Where Will Lean Be In 10 Years?

Lean experienced a fairly slow start in the 80’s and early 90’s, but picked up its adoption rate rapidly in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Of late, it seems to be reaching something of a saturation point in manufacturing, but is still spreading rapidly in other areas. The Lean office is still going strong. Lean is making substantial inroads into healthcare. I see more requests for Lean information from those in higher education. Even the government is getting into the act, albeit at a slow pace. (Note: These observations are from personal experience. It is surprisingly hard to find reliable, believable, compatible data about Lean adoption.)

By Jeff Hajek, ago