The Future of Lean Sigma Thinking in a Changing Business Environment  book cover
1st Edition

The Future of Lean Sigma Thinking in a Changing Business Environment




ISBN 9781439851029
Published June 2, 2011 by Productivity Press
216 Pages 86 B/W Illustrations

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Book Description

Of the 100 companies named to Fortune magazine’s list of the world’s largest companies in 1956, only 29 of those companies remain on that list. Many lost their way because they failed to recognize the changes taking place, or were too big to react quickly enough to shifting market conditions.

Supplying Lean practitioners with a formal process for keeping up with technological advancements and shifting business requirements, The Future of Lean Sigma Thinking in a Changing Business Environment provides the tools to survive and prosper through the current business environment. It introduces cutting-edge business solutions from the fields of chemical engineering, aircraft production, and business psychology, and explains how to integrate these concepts with proven Lean principles.

The book begins by providing a foundation in essential Lean concepts, including Deming and Juran, Six Sigma, Total Quality Management, the Toyota Production System, and New Six Sigma. Next, it reports on the latest advances in process understanding. By analyzing changing attitudes within the system, it illustrates how new products are being developed using updated Lean thinking. In addition, it provides examples that demonstrate the impact of e-commerce on Lean production systems.

Incorporating the green agenda to Lean thinking, the text supplies the insight to safely navigate your company through a shifting business landscape while reducing your impact on raw materials and the environment. By following the principles discussed in this book, you will not only increase your company’s chances of achieving long-term survival but will position your organization to capitalize on the economic upturn on the horizon.

Table of Contents

Quality Initiatives
Deming and Juran
Six Sigma
The Toyota Production System
New Six Sigma
So What?

Production Systems
Top Ten Motor Manufacturers and Vehicle Production

The History and Development of the Toyota Production System

The Toyoda Spinning and Weaving Company
The Toyota Motor Company
     Mistake Proofing (Poka-Yoke) 
     Stop the Process (Jidoka)

Global Motor Manufacturing in the Credit Crunch of 2008–2009
What Exactly Is a Kanban—What Does It Look Like?

The Impact of Global Attitudes and Bailout Conditions
Bailout Conditions
New Technology

How the Toyota Production System and Lean Thinking Are Currently Implemented
"Belts"
Blackbelt Training

Recent Advances in Process Understanding
Process Intensification
     History and Development
     Current Implementations
     Methodology
Process Verification

Business Psychology Concepts
Culture
     National Cultures
     Cultural Diversity in Business
Interpersonal Differences
Teamship

Changing Attitudes
New Product Development
Smart Organizations
E-Commerce

The "No-Change" Scenario and Possible Future Changes
Possible Contenders
     Potential New Modules
     Features of PI Solutions
     Established PI Benefits
New Modules, Old Process
     Does the New Idea Reduce Waste?
     Is the New Idea an Extension of an Original Lean Concept?
     Will the New Idea Add Value or Cause Confusion?
Implementation

Each chapter concludes with References and a Conclusion

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Author(s)

Biography

David Rogers is managing director at Danercon Ltd. in Middlesex, UK, and a visiting lecturer at the University of Westminster. He earned his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Salford University.