Customer Reviews

Better Thinking, Better Results: Case Study and Analysis of an Enterprise-Wide Lean Transformation

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Emiliani et al have written a very readable, easy to understand and thorough case study of the West Hartford, CT based (at that time) privately held, Wiremold Companies lean transformation.
In 1991, the formerly successfull but now declining wire management products producer began a lean transformation which changed Wiremold into an acquisition machine that by 1999 was generating ten times the operating profit and eleven times the net profit of pre lean operations. During this period, Wiremold boasted a 23.2% compound annual growth rate.
The real benefit of reading this book are the comments by the management team explaining in their own words the reasoning behind each step in the lean transformation process.
The book includes:
1. An analysis of strategic models leading to the selection of the lean management model.
2. A financial strengths and weaknesses analysis leading to the lean transformation plan.
3. The actual lean transformation plan.
4. A discussion of the whys and wherefors of the adopted lean organization strucure.
5. How to move from an MRP push production control system to a lean flow/pull system sensibly.
6. How to practically dispose of excess inventory during the lean transformation.
7. The best way to align the workforce with the requirements of the lean organization.
8. A detailed description of a growth through acquisition strategy financed internally with the lean management process.
9. A comparison of standard cost accounting with actual cost accounting.
All in all - an absolute must read for the lean manager. Not a book for the lean practitioner.
Relevance to the lean practitioner 4/10
Relevance to the lean manager 9/10
Clarity and organization 9/10
Original content 9/10

This is the only book I know that shows how to manage the transformation of a company from traditional manufacturing to a thoroughly lean organization. The book contains a detailed case study of the lean journey of the Wiremold Corporation (and it's managers) from the early 1990's to the present day. Addressing such issues as the kaizen culture, lean as a people process, customer-focused product development, providing value for your customers, and lean accounting; this book goes way beyond the tools & methods of lean manufacturing to the practical implementation of lean management. I would recommend this as a "must read" for any management team serious about lean transformation.

This is the best overall book on lean management since Lean Thinking. An excellent methodical description and analysis of the Wiremold lean journey, demonstrating the tools and leadership required to execute a lean transformation. Like Lean Thinking, you have more "a-ha!" moments each additional time you read it. Very highly recommended.

I've always considered the first edition of this book to be the best real-world example of how to execute a lean enterprise transformation. The story of Wiremold is one of the unfortunately rare cases of a group of executives that understand that lean is not only about continuous improvement, but also respect for people. The operational and financial results that Art Byrne and his Wiremold team achieved are stunning and inspirational. This second edition also includes an update that describes what has happened at Wiremold after Legrand purchased the company. Unfortunately it's a sad story of reverting back to the old batch and queue methods and losing operational excellence. But Bob Emiliani is able to turn that negative outcome into a very thought-provoking lesson for all of us on how tenuous and fragile lean enterprise excellence can be.

Better Thinking Better Results is not just a case study on how Wiremold implemented lean; it is a fascinating manual for leaders on lean transformation. Thorough and yet extremely readable, this really should be one of the top three "must reads" of lean (along with the Toyota Way Fieldbook and Lean Transformation; finance professionals should also read Practical Lean Accounting). This paperback second edition has an short update about developments since 2002. The book has the added benefit of extensive footnotes full of further references, useful tools (such as the 20 question employee survey) and lean trivia (when did the term "lean production" first appear in print ?). It is an excellent book and I can't recommend it highly enough.

If you are looking to get the best advices about how lean can transform a business and its profound implications within a company and its market, please read this book. You will understand how leadership and lean knowledge at the top is of paramount importance, how humor make lean transformation simpler, and how, besides the production floor, Lean affects product development, accounting and can make profitable an acquisition faster. I strongly suggest this book to everyone in an executive position.