Becoming Lean Inside Stories of U.S. Manufacturers [Hardcover]

Most other books on lean management focus on technical methods and offer a picture of how a lean system should look like. Other books provide snapshots of companies before and after lean was implemented.

This is the first book to provide technical descriptions of successful solutions and performance improvements. It's also the first book to go beyond snapshots and includes powerful first-hand accounts of the complete process of change; its impact on the entire organization; and the rewards and benefits of becoming lean.

At the heart ofBecoming Lean are the stories of American manufacturers that have successfully implemented lean methods. The writers offer personalized accounts of their organization's lean transformation. You have a unique opportunity to go inside the implementation process and see what worked, what didn't, and why.

1. Introduction: Bringing Lean Back to the U.S.A.
2. Bringing the Toyota Production System to the United States: A Personal Perspective
3. Japanese Education and Its Role in Kaizen
4. Lean Manufacturing Practices at Small and Medium Sized U.S. Parts Suppliers: Does it Work?
5. Transforming a Plant to Lean in a Large, Traditional Company: Delphi Saginaw Steering Systems, GM
6. Making Leather Leaner: The Garden State Tanning Story
7. Learning About Lean Systems at Freundenberg-NOK: Where Continuous Improvement Is a Way of Life
8. The Donnelly Production System: Lean at Grand Haven
9. Implementing Lean Manufacturing at Gelman Sciences,Inc.
10. Cedar Works: Making the Transition to Lean
11. Operational Excellence: A Manufacturing Metamorphosis at Western Geophysical Exploration Pl#4