Press clippings

Jan 29 2013

Unions, Lean, and Manufacturing Jobs | New York Times

See on Scoop.it – lean manufacturing

A union resurgence is taking place. Is that enough to save organized labor?

Michel Baudin‘s insight:

The article sounds right about unions in the US, but incorrectly describes France as having “drastically higher  union coverage.” French unions barely represent 8% of the work force, not much more than the 7% in the US, but they do keep a high profile, with more than 90% of their funds coming, in various forms, from the government. Their financing was exposed in early 2012 by a parliamentary commission report that was first quashed and then leaked to the press (http://bit.ly/WdL1lk).

See on www.nytimes.com

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Jan 26 2013

5S in Sri Lanka: Passing fad or firm philosophy? | The Sundaytimes Sri Lanka

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Over the past few years, Sri Lanka has seen a tremendous increase in the application of the Japanese workplace organization method, the 5S system, particularly

Michel Baudin‘s insight:

A well-written, warts-and-all account of a development I was not aware of. The last paragraph says: “…those companies which have succeeded in embracing it as a philosophy have benefited in numerous ways, financially and non-financially…” And this is as specific as it gets.

See on www.sundaytimes.lk

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Jan 24 2013

Shigeo Shingo’s first name misspelled twice in article on mistake-proofing

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“The causes of defects lie in worker errors, and defects are the results of neglecting those errors. It follows that mistakes will not turn into defects if worker errors are discovered and eliminated beforehand.” — Shiego Shingo, 1986

Sheiego Shingo, the Japanese industrial engineer credited as one of the world’s leading experts on manufacturing practices and the Toyota Production System, termed pre-mistake discovery and elimination as poka-yoke, which translates to “fool proofing” or more recently “mistake proofing.”

Michel Baudin‘s insight:

And it is misspelled in two different ways!

See on www.qualityassurancemag.com

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Jan 23 2013

Companies use kaizen to improve

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It used to take 34 steps to open a checking account at Great Western Bank.

Michel Baudin‘s insight:

This article is focused on improvement done at Great Western Bank, a regional bank with 200 locations and 1,600 employees, inspired by similar work done at mid-size manufacturers Raven Industries and Daktronics, and contractor Muth Electric.

The improvements seem substantial. The article otherwise contains a few minor eyebrow raisers that, to be fair, may be due to misunderstandings by the reporter.

The subtitle describes Kaizen as a “Japanese method,” but later explains that “the work is done in Kaizen events,…” Kaizen events are an American method and unknown in Japan. And what is implemented through Kaizen events is not Kaizen as understood in Japan.

“Kaizen is considered the building block of lean production…” Well, I can think of a few other building blocks.

“… the resulting strategies are implemented […] within days of the event.” Kaizen events don’t just identify strategies, but changes implemented primarily during the event itself, not in the days that follow.

See on siouxfallsbusinessjournal.argusleader.com

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Jan 6 2013

Manufacturing in Thailand adapts to higher wages – The Nation

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Companies get lean and mean. Many labour-intensive sectors have tried to adjust their operations to deal with the nationwide imposition of a Bt300 minimum daily wage. These…

Michel Baudin‘s insight:

Wages rise in Thailand, as in China and Vietnam. It means these economies are in transition away from competing based on cheap labor. It means more elaborate products, higher quality and productivity, along with the rise of a middle class hungry for imports. In the garment industry, higher wages also trigger a move from cotract manufacturing of cheap goods into high fashion.

See on www.nationmultimedia.com

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Jan 6 2013

Lean inventory translates into market agility | Knoxville News Sentinel

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Lean inventory translates into market agility
Knoxville News Sentinel
This was one of the key lean principles that Fairchild program manager John Houser learned in the University of Tennessee’s Executive MBA for Strategic Leadership program.

Michel Baudin‘s insight:

An article on Lean at Fairchild Semiconductor, although, all that is reported is a switch from monthly to weekly inventory reporting…

See on www.knoxnews.com

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