Customer Reviews

How To Implement Lean Manufacturing

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An industrial contractor once told me that he really liked the fact that companies were trying to apply Lean because he got a lot of work as a fallout of poor application.

It's amazing to me that companies will try to adopt state-of-the-art manufacturing concepts, such as Lean, without a good understanding of what they hope to accomplish or even why the concepts have become popular.

I think part of the reason is that there is not much useful, practical advice on how to do it.

This book goes a long way toward filling that void.

It is loaded with practical examples and exercises to clarify the application methods and benefits. It has some suggestions on getting started that can make you money almost immediately.

Chapters 2-5 provide a good overview (and there is a glossary for quick reference). Chapters 6-8 give a step-by-step procedure for getting started. Other chapters explain how to advance a process already in place and several chapters have excellent case examples. I especially liked chapter 18 where there is a simple experiment with dice to show the effect of variation on plant capacity.

I very much enjoyed reading this book because it helped me understand the principles and how to apply them. I was also impressed with how much the case studies reinforced the principles and tied them to real events. I recommend it to those who wish to implement lean in their facility.

If you have read "LEAN THINKING" by James P Womack and Daniel T. Jones, you may have been left wondering what Lean Manufacturing and the Toyota Production System was all about. It may have seemed mysterious and not well defined. Lonnie Wilson's "HOW TO IMPLEMENT LEAN MANUFACTURING" is a guidebook to Lean Manufacturing that will take the mystery out of process for you. It is a practical HOW-TO guide that can be used by plant managers, executives, quality managers and production personnel to implement the Lean Systems within their facilities.

This book not only addresses the strategy on how to implement Lean Manufacturing but also addresses cultural change necessary for a successful transformation. In the end you have to sustain the gain and the book tells you what is necessary.

What makes this book standout from other Lean texts is that the book itself is written in a Lean style of writing. Lonnie uses "Points of Clarity" to highlight important concepts within the book. Additionally he uses hundreds of visual graphics and tables that draw the reader's attention. Visual clues and organization is a key concept in Lean. I don't think you can turn two or more pages without being grabbed by a new visual to help make a point in the book.

I was impressed with the level of practical detail. Need to calculate OEE or the proper KANBAN size? Does Value Stream Mapping have you confused? The book provides the formula's necessary. It places these concepts in context to the big picture of efficiency, lead-time or cycle-time reduction. The book is filled with personal examples from Lonnie Wilson's career leading transformation efforts. Case studies are also given to drive home and follow the complete process of a successful Lean project and some that are not so successful.

This is a book I would personally recommend to anyone getting ready to attend a Lean training workshop. Read this book first and you will be prepared for your class. As a university instructor, I like to tell my students, "The answer is in the book". I think you will find many insightful answers about Lean in Lonnie Wilson's "HOW TO IMPLEMENT LEAN MANUFACTURING".

The Japanese word "sensei" is usually translated into English as "teacher" but the literal translation, and possible better translation for this purpose, is "one that has gone before".

Lonnie Wilson's practical and pragmatic new book "How To Implement Lean Manufacturing" shows why Lonnie deserves the title "sensei". Lonnie shows us the way, and the potholes, because he has gone this way before, many times.

Mixing lean, theory of constraints, and six sigma (aka variation reduction), Lonnie shows how to move companies forward towards a better business model and greater profits. His writing style is personal and direct which makes the book easy to read in addition to causing deep thought about our own experience, leadership, and business situation. Lonnie does not lecture on about theory but shows practical applications and examples of how to use the Toyota Production System and Lean Manufacturing in our companies here and now.

After reading this book cover-to-cover I will keep it handy for reference and to have colleages read sections and discuss. I think everyone that is engaged in implementing Lean, or considering implementing Lean, should read this book.

Lonnie Wilson teaches you how to implement the best aspects of lean manufacturing without having to implement the cultural aspects of the Toyota Production System. He believes that cultural transformation, while a benefit if you can pull it off, keeps you from realizing he benefits of Lean quickly, is risky, and adds cost to your Lean project.

Chapter 1 explains his views along these lines and Chapter 2 is a look at Toyota's System and why you need a manufacturing system that focuses on behavior more than culture. Chapter 3 shows you why variation gets in the way of your manufacturing goals and how inventory masks and is the result of variation. You want to eliminate inventory and you have to eliminate variation in order to eliminate the need for inventory. Chapter 5 shows you why Lead Time exists and how you can reduce it.

Chapter 6 discuses the basics of Cultural Change and how need to start thinking about Lean and your manufacturing culture. Chapter 7 looks at strategic approaches you can take to becoming a Lean Manufacturing environment and shows you what Takt is and how to use it. You also get a look at what a basic time study is and how to conduct a balancing study. Spaghetti Diagrams and Value Stream Mapping are also discussed.

Chapter 8 takes you through a Lean implementation process while chapter 9 looks at how to do Lean planning and how to set appropriate and achievable goals. Chapter 10 shows you how to maintain the gains you worked so hard to make and chapter 11 looks at the effect of your culture on Lean and how to think about what you can do with your own.

Chapters 12 and 13 deal with managing your constraints and the benefits you can realize by using cellular manufacturing. Chapter 14 is a case study on cultural change and chapter 15 is a case study on early gains realized by reducing lead times. Chapter 16 is three small case studies as good examples of what to do. Chapter 17 looks at what happens when Lean is used poorly. The last three chapters show you how to conduct your own experiments on variation and inventory, a bunch of assessment tools you can use, and a summary of how your company can become a house of Lean.

This is, I believe, a useful and practical book. Heaven knows, we need to become even more competitive to hold onto as many manufacturing jobs as we can. Maybe someday we can once again grow our manufacturing base. But if we ever do, it will be because we have become globally competitive not because of some series of spending initiatives out of Washington D.C..

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

How to Implement Lean Manufacturing by Lonnie Wilson is a masterpiece on continuous improvment. Lonnie covers this subject by hitting all significant areas of lean and ties it to real life situations where he has made a tremendous impact as a consultant. The book is very well written and organized. Each chapter leaves you with a thirst for the next chapter. I consider this book to be the "number one" book I have read on lean. I am a lean consultant and University of Minnesota Lean Manufacturing instructor who holds seven lean/six sigma certifications and has practiced manufacturing & design engineering for over 25 years. This book definitely earns an "A+".
Jim McCarthy - Lean Master & Master Black Belt

Finally we have a "how to" that makes sense and destroys some of the myths. The myth that lean benefits will take a long time is the one I find particularly silly. Just because it took Toyota 30 years doesn't mean significant benefits can't be realized in 30 days. For sure a culture changing lean project will take time but like most changes it only takes as long as it takes to change your mind.

The important aspects of implementing a lean change are covered in enough detail to be helpful. I found the chapter on Inventory and Variation to be most helpful. Even though the author tries to limit discussion on Lean Cultural issues the chapter on it is useful.

I've read all the books on Toyota and Lean and I've found this book to be the most useful. Highly recommended.

I took this book on a week's vacation thinking that I would breeze through yet another book on Lean. I was very mistaken. I found myself again and again needing to slow down, think, and really consider what Lonnie Wilson is saying. There's a clarity and focus to understanding lean, and from many different perspectives, that can only come from years of experience and from deep thinking.

I'm impressed with the breadth of treatment here: TPS as a quantity control system, the bedrock assumptions of quality control and process stability, the interrelationships with 6 Sigma and TOC, the cultural underpinnings and dynamics of cultural change, the practical tools, dealing with the real world of constraints and variation, the assessment approach along with the prescriptions, the refreshing focus on early and quantifiable gains. And along the way, detailed and insightful case studies really help to illustrate. But it's deep as well as wide: from the rigor of the mathematical calculations to the subtleties of managing cultural change. I found the idea that problem creation is a key role of management (p. 161) to be remarkably insightful.

I've been deeply immersed in lean for the past 10 years, yet this book was completely refreshing and one that I will go back to again and again. Highly recommended whether you are just starting in or have been doing lean for years.

As a Director of Quality for seven years, and a Quality professional for 18 years, this is the most helpful, easy to read book I have ever read on implementation of lean. I have read works of Ohno, and books by others that simply regurgitate what they think Ohno or Shingo meant...finally, this is a book that is written by a lean guru in his own right, Lonnie Wilson, but written more as if you're actually in training, by a trainer that really knows the shop floor and has worked with shop floor people and real managers with real challenges throughout the world. I literally found myself on the shop floor, "listening" to Lonnie Wilson as if he was standing next to me telling me what to do. The book is motivating and feels conversational, as if your lean mentor is just having a conversation with you, teaching you and showing you how to implement lean-making the key points clear. It becomes clear that, like most things, there is no silver bullet or substitute for hard work, but... substantial gains can be made, and much can be made short term. Although there's no substitute for actually having your own lean mentor, this book is as close as I've seen and- the investment is certainly insignificant relative to what you will get out of it. I highly recommend it!

I can deeply recommend this incredible book. It provides deep, wise, unique inside supported by years of experience and valuable examples that will help you to better understand principles of Lean Manufacturing. The most precious attribute of this book is its practicality, that will immediately benefit your journey by shedding some light on elements previously difficult to understand or apply. It is definitely one of the best books about Lean that you can currently purchase on Amazon.How To Implement Lean Manufacturing

Brilliantly detailed in a good to understand manner. Gives an excellent insight in lean manufacturing and has really broadend my understanding and knowledge of lean manufacturing. I have read a few Lean manufacturing books, but this one really is informative.