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A Blog About Understanding TPS and Gaining Its Full Benefits, brought to you by "The Toast Guy"
IT
Steven King fans may recall “IT”, a 1990 television series, about an inter-dimensional creature that has the ability to transform itself into its victim’s worst fears. In one scene, the protagonist is tortured in the school shower by telescoping shower valves. Forced in one direction and then another by scalding water from dueling showerheads, the […]
Posted in: Old Lean Dude
Casche Bay Mura
August 22, 2012
I went canoeing last week with my 13-year-old son, Ben, on the boundary lakes between Minnesota and Ontario. Away from phones, radios and any other means to communicate with the outside world, the journey across lakes and portages was strenuous, but relaxing. We’d prepared earlier in the summer for some heavy lifting and I, in […]
Posted in: Old Lean Dude
WIP It
July 30, 2012
Referred to either as “work in process” or “work in progress” (I think they’re the same thing), WIP is one of those manufacturing concepts that’s designed to confuse. Firstly, it’s not really “work”, but the object of work. In fact, in a JIT world, when produced before it’s needed, even the work is not really […]
Posted in: Old Lean Dude
Dedicated to What?
July 5, 2012
On vacation this week along with a large portion of the U.S. population, I stopped in at an antique auto show to enjoy the products of days gone by. My favorite was this souped-up 1923 Model T Roadster (pictured at right.) Brilliant fire engine red with polished brass hardware. We call this a “custom car”, […]
Posted in: Old Lean Dude
Waves
June 14, 2012
When I was in production, we used the term “waves” to describe the ebb and flow of work to the factory. Some days there would be very little, and others a big heaping pile. When the waves came, we worked overtime, bumped queues, and sometimes used less experienced workers to fill in gaps. So-called work-in-process […]
Posted in: Old Lean Dude
What is Advanced Manufacturing?
June 4, 2012
I am looking for some help to answer this question. Seeking illumination, I recently attended a presentation offered through CCAT, a non-profit Connecticut corporation with a mission not unlike that of GBMP – “to apply innovative tools and practices to increase efficiencies, improve workforce development and boost competitiveness.” The word optimization was used more times […]
Posted in: Old Lean Dude
Respect for People
May 25, 2012
I can remember a Decoration Day (as Memorial Day was then called) parade in which the last living veteran of the American Civil War marched. He was over 100 years old at that time, but had been a drummer boy in the Union Army in 1865. In 1952 the celebration was still held on May 30th […]
Posted in: Old Lean Dude
September 4, 2012
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