The Future of Lean Sigma Thinking in a Changing Business Environment

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.

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.

Quality Initiatives Deming and Juran Six Sigma The Toyota Production System New Six Sigma So What?

Production Systems Top Ten Motor Manufacturers and Vehicle ProductionThe 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 2008–2009What Exactly Is a Kanban—What Does It Look Like?

The Impact of Global Attitudes and Bailout ConditionsBailout ConditionsNew Technology

How the Toyota Production System and Lean Thinking Are Currently Implemented"Belts"Blackbelt Training
Recent Advances in Process UnderstandingProcess Intensification History and Development Current Implementations MethodologyProcess Verification

Business Psychology ConceptsCulture National Cultures Cultural Diversity in BusinessInterpersonal DifferencesTeamship

Changing AttitudesNew Product DevelopmentSmart OrganizationsE-Commerce

The "No-Change" Scenario and Possible Future ChangesPossible Contenders Potential New Modules Features of PI Solutions Established PI BenefitsNew 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