Going Lean: How the Best Companies Apply Lean Manufacturing Principles to Shatter Uncertainty, Drive Innovation, and Maximize Profits

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AMACOM, Jun 30, 2008 - Business & Economics - 288 pages
Efficient operations and powerful innovations are not limited to seasons of growth and high demand. Going Lean introduces the powerful yet unexpected mind-set that’s reshaping the rules for business competitiveness: Lean Dynamics TM. This approach, based on the now-famous Toyota Production System--empowers companies to thrive in virtually any environment--even when sudden shifts occur or they experience unpredictable conditions. Through a detailed exploration of this approach, readers will learn how to: become broadly effective in creating and sustaining value; set a critical foundation for achieving sustained excellence; identify sources of lag and create robust value streams that thrive in today’s dynamic conditions; describe the underlying techniques to maintain steady and predictable flow; create a system based on “pull,” or external demand that consistently introduces new innovation; strive for perfection; and deliver industry-leading returns. Led by a new breed of companies--Toyota, Walmart, and Southwest Airlines--this innovative mind-set changes the game for businesses everywhere. Going Lean teaches readers how their companies--big or small--can leverage this revolutionary thinking to measure and achieve real results.
 

Contents

Solving the Mystery of Success
1
FROM CRISIS TO EXCELLENCE
9
THE FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS
79
IMPLEMENTING LEAN DYNAMICS
163
Constructing the Value Curve
213
Glossary
219
Notes
227
Index
257
About the Author
265
Copyright

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About the author (2008)

Stephen A. Ruffa is an engineer who worked for the American Defense Department and researched lean manufacturing across seventeen large aerospace producers. His previous book, Breaking the Cost Barrier: A Proven Approach to Managing and Implementing Lean Manufacturing was awarded the 2001 Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing Research.

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