Get Lean and Prosper

May 14, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (1)

Time to stock up on Forever stamps - Yahoo! News

Sigh, first class postage has gone up from 41 cents to 42 cents. That really doesn't impact me, since I mail maybe two or three things a month (thanks to online bill pay -- something that hasn't always served me well).
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May 12, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (1)

I've had the opportunity to read Bob Emiliani's two collections of essays on "Real Lean" and I'm long overdue on posting about them. I'm especially late considering since Volume Three is coming out in June. These books are particularly recommended for those who already have a basic Lean education and some experience (or struggles) with implementing Lean.

Real Lean: Understanding the Lean Management System (Volume One)...Read More

May 9, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (1)

Factories Fading, Hospitals Step In - WSJ

It's inevitable -- as manufacturing jobs decline and our population ages, more people will shift from manufacturing jobs into healthcare. (Free version of article here)

BANGOR, Maine -- In this aging manufacturing region, where old-line industries like paper factories are falling away, health care has emerged as the employer of last resort.

Between 1998 and 2007, the Bangor metropolitan area (pop. 150,000) lost about 3,700 jobs in manufacturing, but gained 3,500 jobs in health care. For many residents in Bangor, the hospital is replacing the mill as the passport to the middle class. For others, it means low

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May 7, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

A Crushing Issue: How to Destroy Brand-New Cars - WSJ.com While this is a story about Mazda shipping cars from Japan (a location where Toyota still makes many U.S.-bound cars, even with their North American expansion), it might give you pause if you're chasing cheap labor in China or Vietnam. ...Read More

May 6, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com

Sort of a funny video (linked above) on CNN/Headline News about presidential candidates being "clueless" about what they're seeing on the campaign trail and factory tours. The Headline News version (which I can't find online) had overlays that read:

• "Clueless on the Campaign Trail"
• "Candidates often don't know what they're looking at on business tours"
• "Candidates have some silly questions, don't seem to understand the answers"
• "Candidates do a lot of nodding when they don't understand tours"

Maybe Headline News doesn't rank high on the "respect for candidates" scale, but they're...Read More