Gemba Academy

The Pros and Cons of Model Lines for Lean Implementation

By Jon Miller - January 16th, 2008

In continuous improvement terminology a “model line” is a closely connected series of processes that are the target of focused implementation of lean principles. It derives from the selecting a production line and convertin

Former Toyota Exec Speaks

By Ron Pereira - January 16th, 2008

My friend Pete Abilla (author of the Shmula blog – now creator of a site that can help you find a math tutor and more) often reminds us that, during his time at Toyota, the phrase “respect for humanity” was used, not “res

Shadows or Reality?

By Ron Pereira - January 14th, 2008

One of my passions in life is to learn. As such, I have begun the year by ditching books about leadership, lean, and six sigma (for now). In their place I have decided to study philosophy which may make you want to yawn… but I woul

101 Kaizen Templates: Safety Calendar

By Jon Miller - January 13th, 2008

Early in the year is a good time to refresh our commitment to health, safety and sustainability of our various enterprises. Despite our best intentions, habits being what they are, these resolutions are too often not so resolute. Unlik

Japan Here I Come!

By Ron Pereira - January 11th, 2008

I am excited to announce that I am headed to see lean manufacturing at its best as I join Gemba Research on their upcoming Japan Kaikaku Experience. We arrive in Japan March 9 and the plans are to visit the following companies during t

Building a Lean Supply Stream

By Ron Pereira - January 10th, 2008

If you happen to live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area or will be in town you may consider attending this conference. I plan to attend so let me know if you will be there so we can say hi! Apologize for sending this out late… bu

101 Kaizen Templates: Stand in the Circle

By Jon Miller - January 9th, 2008

The 60-minute kaizen exercise we call “stand in the circle” originates in the teaching method Taiichi Ohno used. This involved a piece of chalk, a circle drawn on the concrete floor, and a manager left to stand in it for ho

The Highest Form of Human Excellence

By Ron Pereira - January 8th, 2008

“I know you won’t believe me, but the highest form of Human Excellence is to question oneself and others.” -Socrates When someone asks me a question I typically respond with an immediate answer. There are many issues

The Secret Lives of Toyota Term Employees, Episode 5

By Jon Miller - January 7th, 2008

Do you live with the fear that your job may be gone tomorrow? Toyota group company workers do, according to an article titled Growing Reliance on Temps Holds Back Japan’s Rebound in the Wall Street Journal on January 7, 2008. The

That which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger

By Ron Pereira - January 7th, 2008

As a young boy growing up in Ohio I learned to love Ohio State. I was watching them play football before I even knew what football was. It’s hard to explain to most how much I love them. And it’s hard to express how s

101 Kaizen Templates: The Checklist

By Jon Miller - January 6th, 2008

This is the first post in the 101 kaizen templates series. Only 100 more kaizen templates to go. Takt time is 3.5 days per template. I considered planning out and structuring this series but for now we’ll just go with the flow an

Walk Slowly

By Ron Pereira - January 6th, 2008

Do you aspire to be a better leader in 2008? If so, you may consider walking slower through your office or shop talking to folks more than you do today. In lean speak we often use the phrase genchi genbutsu which basically means to go

The Cadence of Kaizen

By Jon Miller - January 4th, 2008

Kaizen is a Japanese word meaning “to change and make good,” embodying both the philosophy an the practice of continuous improvement in business as well as personal life. We are often asked about the “right” way

Management Improvement Carnival #27 (Best of 2007)

By Ron Pereira - January 3rd, 2008

John Hunter asked me to write the latest Management Carnival. Normally, bloggers look at the previous month and share some links of their favorite posts. Since we are at the start of a new year I thought I would change things up a

How to Sustain Kaizen? Follow Up with the Tenacity of the Terminator

By Jon Miller - January 2nd, 2008

Yesterday Mike Wroblewski asked How do we Sustain Kaizen Results? on his blog Got Boondoggle? This is a great topic and one that fits in with the theme of sustainability that is on the minds of lean thinkers like Toyota President Watan

Lloyd Carr’s Final Message

By Ron Pereira - January 2nd, 2008

As even semi-regular readers of the blog know I am a huge Ohio State fan. But since it is bowl season I am all about the Big Ten and was actually, yeah I am choking a bit as I say this, cheering loudly for the Michigan Wolverines yes

Comments on Toyota President Watanabe's New Year's Greeting

By Jon Miller - January 1st, 2008

Toyota entered the popular consciousness in 2007 by overtaking General Motors as the number one automobile manufacturer in the world by vehicles sold. Those of us who study lean manufacturing know that Toyota with its production system

One Year of Blogging!

By Ron Pereira - December 30th, 2007

Close to one year ago I started this little blog with the post Lean or Six Sigma?. Truth be told I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing (and am still learning) but knew I loved to write. I also knew I loved teaching people about lean a

101 Kaizen Templates

By Jon Miller - December 26th, 2007

January 2008 will mark 10 years Gemba Research has been in business. This blog has been active for just over four years now. We are reflecting on the past 10 years in an effort to renew our purpose and focus our energies. We will do th

Tap Your Breaks Early and Often to Keep Work Flowing

By Jon Miller - December 20th, 2007

Here’s another counterintuitive truth to Lean: the more often you stop, the more smoothly things will move along. The caveat is that these stops should be small stops, as early and as far away from the actual problem point as pos

OEE – Not Just for TPM Programs!

By Ron Pereira - December 20th, 2007

If someone were to force me into a corner and only allow me to use one metric in my plant I would have to choose Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). The reason I would pick it is simple… it is really 3 metrics in one! Here is a qu

Lean Management Means Shifting from PPT to PPS

By Jon Miller - December 18th, 2007

One of the fundamental behavior changes required by organizations today in order to successfully practice lean management is to shift from communicating via PPT to communicating via PPS. By PPT we mean Microsoft PowerPoint and by PPS w

The Lion and the Gnat

By Ron Pereira - December 18th, 2007

One of my kiddos picked The Aesop for Children for their bedtime book. It is chalk full of short fables with some sort of theme associated with them. One of the fables I read called “The Lion and the Gnat” was an excel

Lean Enterprise Rules of Three

By Jon Miller - December 17th, 2007

“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones; So let it be with Caesar.” That’s from an eu

Update on iSixSigma Magazine

By Ron Pereira - December 15th, 2007

As I’ve previously mentioned I have been asked to be part of iSixSigma Magazine’s Editorial Advisory Board. I was recently asked to write an article for the magazine as part of a new series called “Ask the Expert.&

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