This is not a book presenting detailed steps for implementation of lean but is more of an overview with problems and solutions offered along the way. The book is a quick easy read and I found the following to be interesting:
Goals and Visions: The authors repeatedly stress throughout the book the need for executive management to communicate their goals and visions for the company as a result of the transformation. In fact they consider this to be a critical step in the successful implementation of Lean.
Engineering Change Request: The authors pointed out that Engineering design problems need to be solved in engineering and kept off the manufacturing floor.
Design for Manufacturability: The book argues that the designs need to be capable of being manufactured. Engineering needs to be well versed in the manufacturing processes so that their designs can be produced.
Total Productive Maintenance: Several methods were pointed out in the book towards a TPM implementation. One was Maintenance Machine Charting – Predictive Maintenance.
Concrete Heads: Viewed as the most serious obstacle to implementation. Their behavior ranges from “talking the talk but not walking the walk, to taking willful action that undermines the transformation.” The book presents termination as the solution.
Cross Training: The authors seem to be great believers in cross training.
Lighting: The book indicates that lighting is perhaps one of the first steps towards Lean.
