Relentless Improvement - True Stories of Lean Transformations

Tracing the author’s decades-long continuous improvement journey, Relentless Improvement: True Stories of Lean Transformations walks readers through vivid shop floor experiences to convey a genuine feel for the environments in which Lean Six Sigma transformations occur. Recounting numerous Lean Six Sigma transformations, it illustrates the spectrum of successful operational tactics.The story starts just outside Detroit, Michigan in the 1970s when the auto industry was booming, and most people in the area worked in the car factories, or in one of the component factories that supplied the Big Three. The complexity and detail of the projects grow chapter by chapter. The book begins by explaining how to manage Lean basics such as applying 5S, shortening product cycle times, and creating standard work. It then progresses to factory Lean Six Sigma transformations. Providing implementation guidance geared to functions on the operational level, the book: Presents stories based on the author’s interactions with company leaders and shop-floor employees in the midst of great changeIllustrates real-world plant politics and manufacturing situations using compelling storiesHighlights valuable lessons learned at the end of each chapterUsing an engaging story format, the book recounts the author’s career experiences to provide you with a real-world understanding of how to use Lean tools. The stories in the book illustrate everything from standard work and takt time to Kaizen events and Total Productive Maintenance. The text also includes accounts of "front end" or administrative processes such as product development and materials handling.Table of ContentA Manufacturing Family. My First Factory. Maybe Not Lean, But Lean Things. My First Process Improvement Project. Process Improvement Project #2. My Lean Journey Begins. Outboard Marine Corporation — Marine Power. Japan. Lean Transformation # 1. Components Plant. Lean Transformation #2. Improve Design Engineering Process. Improve Materials Management Process. Lean Transformation Strategies. Various. Biographical NoteBill Trudell is a passionate manufacturing professional and scholar of Lean Six Sigma. He has worked in manufacturing for twenty-five years in positions ranging from assembly line worker to middle management roles to vice president of quality and process improvement. He is currently president of Relentless Excellence LLC. a Lean Six Sigma practice, and has led or been directly involved in Lean Six Sigma transformations and projects for more than twenty years leading three factory Lean Six Sigma transformations.Mr. Trudell graduated from the University of Tennessee and earned an MBA from Jacksonville State University. He holds the ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt and the University of Michigan Lean Certificate. He is APIC and NAPM certified and has attended training at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management. Mr. Trudell co-authored Lean Six Sigma that Works published by AMACOM and his efforts were highlighted on the April 2007 cover of Composites Manufacturing Magazine.He currently offers Lean Six Sigma leadership services through http://www.RelentlessExcellence.com.