Lean Production Simplified (Paperback)

by Dennis Pascal (Author) "New ideas are a response to concrete problems..." (more)
Key Phrases: practical kaizen training, shopfloor team members, heijunka box, Productivity Press, New York, Taiichi Ohno (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Lean Production Simplified is both enlightening and informative for all levels of "lean learners.” It is written from a very human perspective. Many prior publications focus on the "lean bag of tools" or the softer cultural aspects of lean. Dennis contribution is a well integrated blend of both giving the reader not only a systemic understanding of lean, but also the clear skill development required for leadership at all levels. Wherever you are on your journey to lean, Lean Production Simplified will provide further knowledge and insight to help achieve the next level on the eternal path to perfection."
--Anne Stevens, VP, North America Vehicle Operations, Ford Motor Company, June 2004

"This book is just too important! In this age of global competition threatening to annihilate all but the very leanest, Pascal Dennis masterwork, Lean Production Simplified — A Plain-Language Guide to the Worlds Most Powerful Production System, is a must-read. Midway through my career, after working at five, large North American manufacturing companies, its absolutely crystal clear that the three which "died" would have survived if only theyd known of and successfully implemented The Toyota Production System. Dennis is clearly North Americas Ohno-san!"
--Michael A. J. Davis, Executive VP, Waterville TG, Inc., June 2004

"Lean Production Simplified goes beyond being a "primer" for the Toyota Production System - it is "lean thinking" at its best, revealed and explained. Pascal Dennis has drawn from his own experience at Toyota to help the reader understand the meaning behind their language of success, with the whys and hows explained clearly with illustrations that include the very forms used to collect and organize data. Be prepared to have your continuous improvement / people skills honed to a higher level. Whether youre a CEO, president, vice president, manager, supervisor, leader, an engineer, HR specialist, employee or a private owner, Lean Production Simplified is not a book you will read once. Its a book you will read once and then use as a reference book to read and re-read again and again, as its content is absorbed into your area of influence."
--Bob Schroer, Lean Change Agent, Lexington, Ohio, June 2004

Product Description
2006 SHINGO PRIZE WINNER for EXCELLENCE in MANUFACTURING RESEARCH Lean Production Simplified, 2nd Edition is a plain language guide to the lean production system written for the practitioner by a practitioner. It delivers a comprehensive insider's view of lean manufacturing. The author helps the reader to grasp the system as a whole and the factors that animate it by organizing the book around an image of a "house of lean production".

Highlights include:

A comprehensive view of Toyota's lean manufacturing system

A look at the origins and underlying principles of lean

Identifying the goals of lean production

Practical problem solving for lean production

Activities that support involvement - Kaizen circles, suggestion systems, and problem solving

This 2nd Edition has been updated with expanded information on the Lean Improvement Process; "Production Physics" and Little's Law - the fundamental equation for both manufacturing and service industries (cycle time = work in process/throughput); Value Stream Thinking - combining processes required to bring the product or service to the customer; Hoshin Planning -- using the Planning and Execution Tree diagram and Problem Solving -- including the "Five Why" method and how to use it.

Lean Production Simplified, 2nd Edition covers each of the components of lean within the context of the entire lean production system. The author's straightforward common sense approach makes this book an easily accessible on the floor resource for every operator.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Productivity Press; 2 edition (March 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156327356X
• ISBN-13: 978-1563273568
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #42,101 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #6 in	Books > Business & Investing > Skills > Office Automation
  #26 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Engineering > Industrial, Manufacturing & Operational Systems > Production, Operation & Management
  #31 in	Books > Business & Investing > Management & Leadership > Production & Operations

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No Better Inroduction to the Tools of Lean, April 28, 2005

By	Thomas Bucci (Cleveland, Ohio) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Lean Production Simplified: A Plain-Language Guide to the World's Most Powerful Production System (Paperback)

I have been a Lean Practitioner for over twenty years and have had the privilege of learning from some of the original teachers of Lean in the United States. I have reviewed other publications on implementing LEAN Systems and this book is one of the very few that I truly appreciate. (Incidentally, please note that the author is PASCAL DENNIS, not John Shook). "Lean Production Simplified" is simply the BEST introduction to the Toyota Production System and to LEAN Tools that exists today. If you have any responsibility for leading or implementing LEAN in your organization, this would be required reading. Lean Production Simplified is an excellent investment of your time and money. If you are a company owner or President, I would recommend you start with "The Toyota Way" (the most enjoyable to read), "Lean Transformation" by Bruce A. Henderson or "Leading the Lean Initiative" by John W. Davis. If you are the "Lean Champion" in your company, another good introduction to LEAN is "Running Today's Factory". The series of shopfloor guides by Productivity Press is also helpful for your first "baby steps". Beyond that, find a real lean "sensei". A great place to find one is at your state's "MEP" (Manufacturing Extension Partnership) Center.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for beginner, March 4, 2004

By	ADG (ND,USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lean Production Simplified: A Plain-Language Guide to the World's Most Powerful Production System (Paperback)

This is a very good introductory book. All components of lean manufacturing system have been explained. More importantly, the language is very simple and easy to understand. The sample templates are great. One aspect, I would like to see is the cost concept. Particularly, how an established factory can be transformed to lean system with respect to cell concept and layout change. The author has written about the cost benefit of lean system, however, no supporting evidence has been provided. But overall, this book is great.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple explanation of the Toyota Production System, March 1, 2005

By	Rose Press - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lean Production Simplified: A Plain-Language Guide to the World's Most Powerful Production System (Paperback)

I'll keep this book on my desk and make sure that it is part of changing the culture here. Thanks for making it easy to understand the whole sytem, instead of just some of the pieces.