Jan 27 2012
State wants advice on running lean – Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal
Via Scoop.it – lean manufacturing
The state of Minnesota is increasingly turning to businesses for help in streamlining…
Via www.bizjournals.com
Jan 27 2012
Via Scoop.it – lean manufacturing
The state of Minnesota is increasingly turning to businesses for help in streamlining…
Via www.bizjournals.com
By Michel Baudin • Press clippings • 0 • Tags: Government, Lean
Jan 27 2012
From a discussion in the PEX Network & IQPC – Lean Six Sigma & Process Excellence for… on LinkedIn:
Angelo Fraschilla • I work for an aerospace corporation with 18,000 employees worldwide.
We need a 3 year ROI or better to get a project approved.
Answer: You seem to be using the term ROI for payback period or breakeven time. This is a common indicator for investments but often considered insufficient because the purpose of the investment is not just to get your money back but to make a profit on it. That is why project evaluations often also include the Internal Rate of Return (Excel function IRR).
If the cash outflows of your project were loans and the inflows reimbursements, the IRR would be the interest rate of that loan. The IRR is based on the entire life of the project, not just how long it takes to break even.
Looking at both the payback period or breakeven time and the IRR makes sense. You wouldn’t want to do the project if it took 15 years to break even, even if the IRR were 50% because management is not that patient and because the numbers 15 years into the future are iffy. On the other hand, if the IRR is 0%, the project is financially pointless even if you recover you money in 6 months.
John Macdonald • Michel
Is that the same as NPV?
John
Answer: Not quite. NPV, or Net Present Value, is the value today of a schedule of future cash flows. To calculate it, you have to assume a Discount Rate, the ratio by which a dollar a year from now is worth less to you than a dollar today, in the absence of inflation. The NPV is a sum of money, not a ratio.
The IRR, or Internal Rate of Return, is the discount rate for which the NPV of a schedule of cash flow is zero. If you lend money at a given interest rate, and use that interest rate as discount rate, the Net Present Value of the borrower’s payments over time will match exactly the amount of the loan, and the interest rate will equal the IRR.
That is why I was saying that the IRR compares your investment with a loan, and, if the outgoing and incoming cash flows of your investment were loans made and repaid, the IRR would be the interest rate. The IRR is not a trivial calculation manually, but no problem with the Excel IRR function. Pocket calculators with financial functions usually do it as well.
Many companies have hurdle rates on both payback period and IRR, and MBAs are trained to use it. Once you get the hang of it, the logic of the IRR is compelling. Its weak point is that it depends on predictions of cash flows far in the future, and this brilliant logic is applied to fuzzy numbers. That is why you complement it with a metric that has a short-term focus.
If you need to learn about this, I recommend Chapter 6 in Eric A. Helfert’s Techniques of Financial Analysis. It provides clear explanations for professionals who are NOT specialists in finance.
By Michel Baudin • Management • 0 • Tags: Financials
Jan 25 2012
Via Scoop.it – lean manufacturing
A case-study of the Lean approach to Quality.
Via www.industryweek.com
By Michel Baudin • Press clippings • 1 • Tags: Lean manufacturing, Quality
Jan 25 2012
Via Scoop.it – lean manufacturing
Correctional Industries – a division of the Department of Corrections that puts prisoners to work, combining job training with the production of uniforms, food and office furnishings used by government agencies – was one of the first state agencies…
Via www.thenewstribune.com
By Michel Baudin • Press clippings • 0 • Tags: Government, Lean manufacturing
Jan 25 2012
Via Scoop.it – lean manufacturing
Toyota Australia today announced plans to cut 350 jobs at its Altona manufacturing plant, in what it is referring to as a “response to operating conditions.”
Toyota is an ordinary company, after all… In 2010, they mishandled a quality problem; today, they are laying off people. In 1950, when Kiichiro Toyoda laid off Toyota employees, he resigned as CEO. The article here does not suggest in any way that the CEO of Toyota Australia is likewise falling on his sword.
Another reason to call what we do Lean rather than TPS is that we have some control over how Lean evolves.
Via www.themotorreport.com.au
By Michel Baudin • Press clippings • 0 • Tags: Toyota
Jan 27 2012
Chrysler’s World Class Manufacturing at Warren training center
Via Scoop.it – lean manufacturing

Chrysler Group LLC opened a new, state-of-the-art training center in Warren today, one designed to teach its workers the principles of World Class Manufacturing.
Via www.detroitnews.com
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By Michel Baudin • Press clippings • 1 • Tags: Lean manufacturing