- IoT is the network of physical devices, vehicles, buildings and perhaps even humans -embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity- that enable these to collect and exchange data.\u00a0 This capability could support a worldwide Utopia of sharing, innovation and best use of scarce resources; but it could also support a dystopic world such as that painted in George Orwell\u2019s 1984<\/a>.\u00a0 When Orwell\u2019s book was published in 1949, IoT was entirely science fiction.\u00a0 Today it\u2019s approaching science fact, making the questions he raised 70 years ago urgent.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n- Industry 4.0 is more narrowly defined as a network of physical devices, vehicles, buildings and other items\u2014embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity- that enable these objects to collect and exchange data. The expressed goal here is to accommodate an anticipated shortage of human workers in the coming decades. Population studies suggest rapid population growth for the remainder of this century to perhaps 10 billion people, but thereafter a sharp decline.\u00a0 And in some more industrialized countries, a shortage of labor already exists.\u00a0 As with IoT, the impact of Industry 4.0 may be viewed as yet another advancement in productivity and quality; and like IoT, it\u2019s knocking on our doorsteps. \u00a0It\u2019s no longer science fiction as noted in a 1964 episode of Rod Serling\u2019s Twilight Zone.\u00a0 Here is a link to a 90 second clip<\/a>, from \u201cThe Brain Center at Whipple\u2019s,\u201d but for those of you with Netflix, I recommend the full 30-minute version.\u00a0<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
So where does Lean fit into these strategies?\u00a0<\/em> Must we adapt some of the thinking to new technology? \u00a0A client of mine, for example, once asked \u201cIf Mr. Shingo were alive today, with all of the automation we have, would he have invented mistake-proofing?\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0Or are the principles and concepts of Lean more important than ever before to help us reign in our impulses; to aim for, as my teacher, Hajime Oba once said \u201cwhat we should<\/em> do, not what we can<\/em> do.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0In 2003, speaking at SME\u2019s Eastec Exhibit in Springfield, Mass, Mr. Oba was asked, \u201cWhy do American manufacturers get so little benefit from TPS?\u201d\u00a0 Mr. Oba responded without hesitation, \u201cFirst, management does not understand TPS and second they are focused only on quarterly earnings.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0Did Mr. Oba have Mr. Whipple in mind?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here is my 10th<\/sup> and final Lean Peeve before the conference: short-term thinking<\/strong>.\u00a0 It\u2019s not too late to invest in a little strategic thinking about this critical and now urgent idea of harmonizing the best of Lean Transformation and Digital Transformation.\u00a0 Take a couple days to stop worrying about what\u2019s going to happen the next month. Give yourself a break, and join our discussion about where our world is headed for next century.\u00a0 Hope to see you at the conference.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
O.L.D.<\/strong><\/p>\n
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- Industry 4.0 is more narrowly defined as a network of physical devices, vehicles, buildings and other items\u2014embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity- that enable these objects to collect and exchange data. The expressed goal here is to accommodate an anticipated shortage of human workers in the coming decades. Population studies suggest rapid population growth for the remainder of this century to perhaps 10 billion people, but thereafter a sharp decline.\u00a0 And in some more industrialized countries, a shortage of labor already exists.\u00a0 As with IoT, the impact of Industry 4.0 may be viewed as yet another advancement in productivity and quality; and like IoT, it\u2019s knocking on our doorsteps. \u00a0It\u2019s no longer science fiction as noted in a 1964 episode of Rod Serling\u2019s Twilight Zone.\u00a0 Here is a link to a 90 second clip<\/a>, from \u201cThe Brain Center at Whipple\u2019s,\u201d but for those of you with Netflix, I recommend the full 30-minute version.\u00a0<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n