I recently visited Penn State University Hershey Medical Center (HMC) and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). HMC is applying Lean methods in the area of demand capacity matching in their emergency department. Thus far they've realized...

New IndustryWeek webcast featuring a Lean leader and an IT leader from Haldex, discussing "The Haldex Way," how and why the company embarked on a Lean path, and how IT and Microsoft partner Avanade has been an enabler in the process. This story focuses...

IndustryWeek is sponsoring a webcast on May 31st that should be very revealing. Registration available at http://www.industryweek.com/Webcasts/053107Eventregistration.aspx?eventID=342&ref=e2 . Here is the webcast description from Industry Week...

Ultriva has launched their hosted, subscription based eKanban service at www.kanban.com . It's a .NET enabled online service for small to medium sized manufacturers to better align inventory and production with actual customer demand. It includes a wizard...

In Cupertino, CA today at the Ultriva User's Conference listening to a many customer case study presentations from Emerson Electric, Rexnord, and Dover Inc. What is most compelling in the talks is why each company is using Lean. OK International started...

On May 31st, Lockheed Martin will be conducting a webcast hosted by IndustryWeek. Lockheed Martin apparently has transformed their entire approach to conducting kaizen events through the use of software tools like LeanView from the Orlando Software Group...

USC Consulting Group ( www.usccg.com ) has written a very thorough whitepaper describing how technology augments traditional Lean methods, but also argues that technology is a requirement to make a full Lean transformation. The link to the document is...

Details available at http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2007/mar07/03-13ConvergenceDayTwoPR.mspx .

Here at the SpeedNews Aviation Suppliers Conference in LA, interesting comments on lean from Airbus and Boeing: Airbus - site setup and configuration based on lean techniques are a major pillar of Airbus' Power8 restructuring plan, allowing them to...

Podcast of six sigma segment from Corning on last weekend's America's Business with Mike Hambrick show. Again highlights the use of Visio as a tool in implementing process improvements. Podcast is here .

This weekend another radio segment airs on America's Business with Mike Hambrick on how Corning used Six Sigma (DMAIC), supported by Microsoft technology tools such as Visio and our partner Itron, to achieve the following objectives: § Assure uninterrupted...

...featuring the Harbour-Felax Group and Activplant, March 28, 2007. Details at: https://lra100.livemeeting.com/LRSRegistration/EC/activplant/638697426.aspx

Last week at the Lean Transformation Summit, Prof. Durward Sobek of Montana State University, gave a presentation about a new book just published called "Lean Product and Process Development" authored by Allen Ward. I think you'll find the book to contain...

From shopfloor.org : Microsoft Chairman and CEO Bill Gates appeared before the Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee yesterday to testify on the topic of US competitiveness , a topic in which he is well-versed. Link to the full...

...from Defense Acquisition Review at www.dau.mil/pubs/arq/2004arq/Joyce.pdf A couple of years old but still a good read.

Thanks to Ron Pereira for a good laugh - found this on his Lean Six Sigma Academy blog: http://leansixsigmaacademy.blogspot.com/2007/03/new-doe-teaching-aid.html Will we ever see this on From Edison's Desk as the latest feature rollout for GE refrigerators...

New case study published on Gates Corporation - details how they are using various Microsoft technologies such as Sharepoint to standardize work, improve information access, and push KPIs and transparency throughout the organization. Excerpt: "To enforce...

In a previous post I talked about using a shared OneNote workbook as a way of making continuously updated customer follow-up information available to field solution specialists on their desktop. Here is a step-by-step tutorial on how to set this...

...talking about designing the machine around the process and not vice versa, from Gemba Panta Rei at http://www.gembapantarei.com/2007/02/standard_work_needed_for_use_o.html . I know there are numerous improvement efforts in the product groups at...

As an industry marketing manager at Microsoft, I face a challenge that I’m sure many teams share – how do I make it easy for a solution specialist team to follow-up with customers who have registered interest? This is important for 3 reasons: 1. This...

I just started reading a great book on how blogging is changing both “the online conversation” and the way corporations relate to their customers via marketing, PR, and media channels. There's a lot in here on how Microsoft's decision to allow employee...

Podcast of the Lean segment from last weekend's America's Business with Mike Hambrick show is now available at http://marcmonp.members.winisp.net/podcasts/AB_FEB10_SEG3%20Lean%20Segment-1.wma

As you know Microsoft Visio is one of the primary tools that can help automate value stream mapping and process analysis. NAM is running a free trial offer for manufacturers, available at http://www.nam.org/s_nam/sec.asp?CID=202321&DID=234872

Tune in to the National Association of Manufacturers weekly radio show America's Business with Mike Hambrick this weekend on Feb 10-11 for a segment on Lean Manufacturing. Interviews include Ingo Heel, Lean Solutions Director for Microsoft, and a profile...

...shows that the application of lean thinking and tools to the supply chain is a hot area in the industry. Ultriva, quoted in the article, is a provider of electronic kanban and other solutions built on the Microsoft platform using tools such as SharePoint...