1st Edition

The Future of Lean Sigma Thinking in a Changing Business Environment

By David Rogers Copyright 2011
    216 Pages 86 B/W Illustrations
    by Productivity Press

    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.

    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

    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.