Lean Thinking：Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation, Revised and Updated

Expanded,updated,andmorerelevantthanever,thisbestsellingbusinessclassicbytwointernationallyrenownedmanagementanalystsdescribesabusinesssystemforthetwenty-firstcenturythatsupersedesthemassproductionsystemofFord,thefinancialcontrolsystemofSloan,andthestrategicsystemofWelchandGE.ItisbasedontheToyota(lean)model,whichcombinesoperationalexcellencewithvalue-basedstrategiestoproducesteadygrowththroughawiderangeofeconomicconditions.Incontrastwiththecrash-and-burnperformanceofcompaniestrumpetedbybusinessgurusinthe1990s,thefirmsprofiledinLeanThinking--fromtinyLantechtomidsizedWiremoldtonicheproducerPorschetogiganticPratt&Whitney--havekeptonkeepingon,largelyunnoticed,alongasteadyupwardpaththroughthemarketturbulenceandcrusheddreamsoftheearlytwenty-firstcentury.Meanwhile,theleaderinleanthinking--Toyota--hassetitssightsonleadershipoftheglobalmotorvehicleindustryinthisdecade.Insteadofconstantlyreinventingbusinessmodels,leanthinkersgobacktobasicsbyaskingwhatthecustomerreallyperceivesasvalue.(It'softennotatallwhatexistingorganizationsandassetswouldsuggest.)Thenextstepistolineupvalue-creatingactivitiesforaspecificproductalongavaluestreamwhileeliminatingactivities(usuallythemajority)thatdon'taddvalue.Thentheleanthinkercreatesaflowconditioninwhichthedesignandtheproductadvancesmoothlyandrapidlyatthepullofthecustomer(ratherthanthepushoftheproducer).Finally,asflowandpullareimplemented,theleanthinkerspeedsupthecycleofimprovementinpursuitofperfection.Thefirstpartofthisbookdescribeseachoftheseconceptsandmakesthemcomealivewithstrikingexamples.LeanThinkingclearlydemonstratesthatthesesimpleideascanbreathenewlifeintoanycompanyinanyindustryinanycountry.Butmostmanagersneedguidanceonhowtomaketheleanleapintheirfirm.PartIIprovidesastep-by-stepactionplan,basedonin-depthstudiesofmorethanfiftyleancompaniesinawiderangeofindustriesacrosstheworld.EventhosereaderswhobelievetheyhaveembracedleanthinkingwilldiscoverinPartIIIthatanotherdramaticleapispossiblebycreatinganextendedleanenterpriseforeachoftheirproductfamiliesthattightlylinksvalue-creatingactivitiesfromrawmaterialstocustomer.InPartIV,anepiloguetotheoriginaledition,thestoryofleanthinkingisbroughtup-to-datewithanenhancedactionplanbasedontheexperiencesofarangeofleanfirmssincetheoriginalpublicationofLeanThinking.LeanThinkingdoesnotprovideanewmanagementprogramfortheone-minutemanager.Instead,itoffersanewmethodofthinking,ofbeing,and,aboveall,ofdoingfortheseriouslong-termmanager--amethodthatischangingtheworld.