Supply Chain View

A lengthy post today that’s been in the pipeline for a while. The Lean Enterprise Institute have published an English translation of The Birth of Lean, recounting the experiences of the early Toyota practitioners, and how their experiences shaped what became Lean methods and thinking. The introduction and first chapter are available as a free [...]

This is basic stuff, but as usual there is a lack of clear and concise explanations of this on the web. It is also very important, as most methods of inventory control can be reexpressed as some form of reorder point method. Hence this simple introduction. I have also prepared a Reference Sheet that summarises [...]

We’re so accustomed to “doom-and-gloom” stories about manufacturing, it came as a very pleasant surprise to hear some happy news on the radio this morning. Confidence in manufacturing output and orders is at a ten-year high, according to the EEF. This is at a time when interest rates are rising, there are fears of a [...]

I mentioned in a recent post that I’m still coming across a lot of confusion about the role of the customer in Lean. So it was good to hear Sir Alan Jones, Chairman Emeritus of Toyota UK, making a really clear statement about this on BBC Radio 4′s The Bottom Line on Saturday (2nd June [...]

Since posting a couple of days ago about the announcement of job cuts at Dell, I have noticed that this has already become a hot topic on the Lean blogs. Kevin Meyer at Evolving Excellence suggests that Dell’s cost cutting is motivated by the desire to manipulate the stock price. Where others have suggested that [...]

A few days ago Dell announced that it was planning to cut about 10% of its global workforce in order to remain competitive. Stories like this are always disappointing, but this one is particularly so because Dell has been such a good example of how to build a successful business around a radical and effective [...]

It’s just been announced that Toyota has overtaken GM as the world’s largest carmaker. Does this mark the triumph of Lean? Almost. It’s worth noting that GM has recruited key staff trained at Toyota, and that it’s operating process (“GMS” – Global Manufacturing System) is built on from elements of Lean – see this article [...]