Hi, it's Mark Raven here. Welcome to 2022.
Happy New Year. I have been a little negligent
in doing some blog posts. Recordings here, I've been
blogging less during the pandemic I plan on doing more
blogging in 2022. But anyway here is a post.
This is going back to November 17th 2021, you can find this
post at lean blog dot org, slash audio 31 Eight, the title of the
headline on the post says this Wall Street Journal article
about lean isn't terrible via GE and Larry Culp.
So the Wall Street Journal unfortunately has an epic track
record when it comes to just always getting it wrong when
they write about lean or the Toyota production system, they
always focus on the just-in-time pillar.
They get a lot of that wrong, but they ignore Concepts the
other pillar of the Toyota production system judoka or
built-in quality. There's a link to the Toyota
production system page on Toyotas own website in the post
again lean blog dot org slash audio 318 the the journal you
know sadly usually ignores many other aspects of TPS like the
culture and the management style.
I've linked to a number of posts I've written over the last 15
years. Looking at that Wall Street
Journal track record Eluding, some reason articles about
pandemic Supply chains where they really mischaracterize just
in time again, you're normally better off reading about lean
from the source, and I would point you to Toyota's website on
that, but I'll give credit to the journal when they, they did
better in this article from November 20 21 about General
Electric and their CEO Larry call somebody who knows lean
very well from his time as CEO. Dana, her eye.
He's been announced as one of the keynote speakers at this
year's AME conference. Later 2022 in Dallas.
Hopefully, I'll see you there and we'll hear Larry called
speak. So the headline from the
journal, said Larry call pre-wired GE and then he Unwound
it. So the link to the article
should be a free link that allows you to read the article.
Even if you're not a subscriber to most you, No, the big news is
the quote, unquote unwinding of GE splitting up in the separate
companies as was announced recently.
Recently, when it was November, I'm more interested in the
rewiring of GE, you know, the history of GE is that they
really got in the Six Sigma in the Jack Welch era.
Then they Embrace lean in more recent years.
Larry Culp is, it seems, you know, a die-hard lean or TPS
guy. And I'm not trying to turn this
into Eileen versus Six Sigma debate, but it said in the
article you before, Larry called, decided to break up GE,
he had to break it down. And as the article details
called wasn't focused on, you know, kind of old, you know,
kind of GE approaches to financial engineering.
He was visiting factories and he was inspiring, if not leading
Improvement at an operational level.
So the first example, from a factory in South Carolina, it
said this in the article using white green yarn, the group
traced, the Journey of a skill blade through the miniature
plant, they discover the blade, which had been piling up at some
stations traveled, nearly three miles on its 85 day.
Journey Through the plan, the solution was clear, rip out the
old machinery and rearrange, the production line to shorten, the
green string in the process. GE upgraded.
The machines to help stop the log jams, when finished in early
22, the blade traveled just Feet and production time was cut by
42 percent. So again to recap they reduce
they reduce the distance from three miles to 165 feet.
So the meaningful detail here is core is of course not the idea
of using light green yarn. Let's not all rush out to buy
light green yarn. The key point is that they
traced out the flow and realize that rearranging machines can
reduce travel distances. Which also reduces lead times
and inventory levels in the article again.
It said in the process call played bear an organization that
belied its reputation for operational and managerial
Excellence pouch. So you know GE generally has an
amazing reputation when it comes to operational and managerial
Excellence, I had to look up the word belie to make sure it meant
what I thought it did. The word belie means.
To give a false impression of, to present an appearance, not in
agreement with or to show something to be false or wrong.
So again out, I mean, there's there's reputation and then
there's the reality, the shop floor level and that doesn't
always line up with reputation or perception again from the
article. It says mr.
Culp arrived at GE with reputation as a high priest in
the world of lean manufacturing. I mean a management philosophy
that seeks to cut. Up waste and create a culture of
continuous Improvement. So ah thank you.
Thank you, Wall Street Journal for mentioning, the idea of a
culture of continuous Improvement lien is usually
portrayed, as you know, the risky elimination of inventory
in that esteemed publication there their actual writing about
just in time belies their reputation as a knowledgeable
business. Publication, again, back to this
article, though, it said, one of cops first exposure, The lean
management was in the early 1990s when he worked in an air
conditioner, Factory in Japan for a week as part of a training
exercise. He said there's nothing like
being screamed at in a language. You don't understand.
It's a tough love environment. So the key Point again, is not
screaming at people, that's a decidedly old-school.
Shinjitsu approach Jolene, that's not practiced by Toyota
people. Today when they go to work with
suppliers or nonprofits through their tsst, Regroup, but it's
great. I think that Culp is quote
addicted to lean Improvement. As the article says, again, back
to the article, they wrote the concept of lean manufacturing
was unofficially invented in the middle of the last century out
of the work of a Toyota engineer named.
Taiichi Ohno who was tasked with making production more efficient
in the post-world war two years in Japan, the system centers on
an approach called Kaizen, which focuses on seeking continuous
Improvement through in-depth sessions.
Is to assess to assess employees progress, that's easier.
That's difficult to read out loud, in-depth sessions to
assess employees, progress, it eventually became the Toyota
production system. So, again, I'm glad that the
journal is, mentioning the Kaizen approach to continuous
Improvement. It's not always, you know,
sessions, if you will it, it happens in small increments
every day. But I'm happy that the journal
is passing along. Corpse expertise, you know, in
an art and it said, you know, they're they're kind of
directly, citing him of how mr. Culp described lean or Kaizen,
that there's three core ideas at work, one focus on the customer
to elimination of waste 3, ruthless prioritization of work.
Now that third phrase, that's not something I've heard from
Toyota folks before some of that.
And I'm not exactly sure what he means.
That said, in a typical strategy deployment approach that that
management concept companies or Healthcare organizations shift
away from everything being a top priority to being more
selective, you know, it's better to get a few key, things done in
the move on to more, rather than trying to do 200 or 300
projects. All at once, this is Something
I've seen a Doctor, John Tucson has described in his writing and
teaching for healthcare. I'm also happy that the journal
pointed out. Lean isn't just about Factory
operations. They used to term.
I love. And I've heard it recently from
some folks carpet land. So, again, in the article, it
says danaher eventually used the lean philosophy to run more than
its factories. Its usefulness stretched into
quote carpet, land is office based activities, were called
when Even a task such as processing, an invoice or
preparing a regulatory. Document can become more
efficient in time. Expended in resources used, And
I'll add, you know, it's not just a matter of efficiency.
I mean, quality matters and improves also through Lane,
there's another cult than lean success story in the article, it
said in early October, mr. Culp spent five days of the GE
Aviation plan in Lynn Massachusetts, whereas Kaizen
assignment, put him with a small team studying, a military engine
part that was hurting on time. Deliveries, the problem turned
out to be an issue with welding on the part leading.
The change has a twin from yielding.
Usable part 59 percent of the time to 100% of the time, nine
different teams and Lynn that week made changes the cut costs
by two million dollars and reduced production Time by 62
days, according to a memo mr. Culp sent to employees.
So, again, it's great to hear that, that mention of quality,
it's great that Culp understands lean and that he's leading the
culture change. I think it's fantastic.
They just willing to participate in Kaizen events as John
Toussaint, did Himself as a healthcare CEO.
So you just hope that culture change and the lean methods
scale beyond the CEO being directly involved.
The article shares culp's view on standard work where he says.
A basic concept of lean management is to create standard
work processes in order to continuously improve at the same
job is done differently. Every time or varies by worker
there was no basis for finding Improvement, the same job must
be done the same way. Every time no detail is too
small. It says, quote, according Culp
standard work is simply identifying the work steps
required and the sequence of those steps the time required
for each that go into making a process repeatable.
Cops said this in 2020. I'm getting toward the end of
the article in the end of my post here.
I'm also happy to hear Larry called talk about the
application of lean to diversity equity and inclusion efforts as
people like my friends, Christopher, Chapman Diandra,
Wardell and Joy Mason or doing. It said in the article.
Mr. Culp is said that lean processes are helping GE find
ways to improve the diversity of its Workforce.
I love to learn more about that. Final thing may be a bit of a
fun Point does Larry called practice lean at home.
It says no quoting Culp in the article if you came and looked
at my garage or my closet, you wouldn't see anywhere near the
orderliness that you might see in a factory that I've been
associated with. I usually end my training
sessions with quote, but don't try this at home.
I mean it's that's funny. I mean you look you my view is
that you can apply lean mindsets and practices at home if that
suits you and if it makes life better or easier for You but you
know culpas have his hands full with Dana her and now GE I won't
fault him for leaving lean thinking at the office or the
factory. I'm so if you want to read the
full Journal article there's a link.
You should again be able to read it without a subscription by
going to lean blog dot org. Slash audio 318.