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Lean Thinking (Finally?) Gets to Chrysler Windsor Plant?
This article appeared back in May… May of 2013… as in this year: “Windsor Chrysler workers reduce waste to be world class.” I mean, good for them, but they are just now getting to this (even if the effort started in 2009 or so)… in the auto industry? Many hospitals were applying Lean thinking before [...]
Monday Economic Report – May 20, 2013
Here is a summary of this week’s Monday Economic Report: The manufacturing economy has hit some speed bumps, according toRead the Rest...
Shingo Research Award for “Healthcare Kaizen”!
My co-author Joe Swartz and I are happy to announce that our book Healthcare Kaizen was named a recipient of the prestigious Shingo Professional Publication and Research Award. The award will be formally presented to the co-authors in early 2014 at the Shingo Prize annual conference. A formal release will be coming out in a few weeks, but [...]
President Obama Tours Manufacturing Facility to Talk Infrastructure
This afternoon President Obama toured the facility and spoke at of Ellicott Dredges in Maryland. During his visit the PresidentRead the Rest...
Conference Board’s Leading Indicators Rise in April on Improved Housing, Credit Numbers
The Conference Board said that its Leading Economic Index rose 0.6 percent in April. The largest component of the increaseRead the Rest...
University of Michigan: Consumer Confidence Rebounded in May
Consumer confidence rebounded in May, according to the University of Michigan and Thomson Reuters. The Consumer Sentiment Survey’s overall indexRead the Rest...
House Small Business Committee Hold Keystone Hearing
Yesterday the House Committee on Small Business’s Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade held a hearing on the Keystone XLRead the Rest...
Podcast #175 – Mike Taubitz, Lean and Safety
Please upgrade your browser MP3 File (run time 28:17) My guest for podcast #175 is Mike Taubitz of the firm Sustainable Lean and FDR Safety. Mike is a retired GM employee (including a stint as Global Safety Director) and we met at the Michigan Lean Consortium conference in 2011. We quickly discovered our shared interest in Dr. [...]
Senate Taxwriters Look At Ways to Synchronize State Tax Laws
Manufacturers that sell/and or distribute their products outside of their home state—and that’s most Manufacturers—currently face a myriad of confusingRead the Rest...
More Bad News for NLRB
It seems like each new week brings another setback for the National Labor Relations Board. This morning, the U.S. CourtRead the Rest...
Philly Fed: Manufacturing Activity Remains Weak
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s Business Outlook Survey contracted again in May, declining for the first time since February.Read the Rest...
Consumer Prices Decline Again on Lower Energy Costs
Consumer prices declined for the second straight month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The consumer price index (CPI)Read the Rest...
My Guest Post @LeanBlitz – Baseball and Warnings
My friend Chad Walters has contributed guest posts to my blog (and has been a podcast guest) and I’m happy to return the favor with a guest post on his site: “Guest Post: A Clown Post About Bryce Harper and Warnings.” Since his “Lean Blitz” blog is sports themed, I wrote a post about warning [...]
Housing Permits Soar, While New Multi-Family Unit Starts Plummet in April
The Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said that new residential construction declined significantly. NewRead the Rest...
Senate Passes WRDA Bill, NAM Urges House to Act
Today the Senate passed the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2013 by a vote of 83 to 14. ThisRead the Rest...
ACA Repeal Vote Has Meaning
This week, the House of Representatives will once again vote on a bill that has little prospect of passage inRead the Rest...
Producer Prices Continue to Ease in April
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that producer prices for finished goods were down 0.7 percent in April, extending theRead the Rest...
Manufacturing Production Declines for the Third Time in the Past Four Months
The Federal Reserve Board said that industrial production declined 0.5 percent in April, more than double the consensus expectation ofRead the Rest...
Empire State Survey Shows Contracting New Orders, Business Conditions
The New York Federal Reserve Bank found that manufacturing new orders and business conditions were lower in May. The EmpireRead the Rest...
A Lean Guy Visits Scott & White Hospital
Hosted by Steve Hoeft, author of the book Stories from My Sensei: Two Decades of Lessons Learned Implementing Toyota-Style Systems, I had a chance to visit Scott & White Hospital in Temple, Texas. With his permission (but without editorial review), I am sharing some stories from my visit to their excellent health system (which is [...]
