Each month new articles, book reviews, and other content are added to the Superfactory website. The new content is featured in the monthly e-newsletter which goes out to 50,000 subscribers worldwide, and we will also post a monthly heads-up on this blog.
This month we did more than just add a new article and featured book - we updated the design of the entire site. It was time - it had been a couple years. The new design has an easier to read font, improved organization, and more pleasing graphics - but don't worry, all of your bookmarks will still work. Visit Superfactory to see the new design.
We also added a couple new content areas:
The featured article is by Bob Emiliani and is titled Better to Improve than be Offended. The following is a brief excerpt, and you can read the entire article here.
Since 1998 I have authored or co-authored eight books and over two dozen journal papers on Lean management. My focus from the outset was critical aspects of Lean management that others had neglected or made only limited progress. Specifically, I expanded our understanding of Lean leadership and the many specific ways in which the beliefs, behaviors, and competencies of Lean leaders differ from the leaders of conventionally managed businesses.
Along the way, I provided historical context that showed how progressive Lean management was the product of a 100+ year evolution in thinking and practice among innovate management practitioners. I also clarified the social, political, and economic impact of progressive management on organizations far beyond what had been done previously, and how these relate to sustainability. And I further contextualized the importance of daily practice among executives, showed how to avoid repeating history's unfavorable outcomes, and articulated effective strategies for Lean management success.
The featured book this month is How to do Kaizen by Bunji Tozawa and Norman Bodek. The following is a brief summary, click here for more information.
Kaizen is a system of continuous improvement: an industrial philosophy that embraces absolutely everyone within the company culture. The goal is in maintaining constant
improvement towards productivity, quality, safety, waste reduction, and leadership. A vast continuous flow of tiny constructive ideas will invariably make a huge differences in aggregate. And the process never stops...
Our partner Gemba Academy released a new course titled Lean Lingo Explained which takes apart the original Japanese words. Modules have also been added to the Transforming Your Value Streams and Practical Problem Solving courses. Gemba Academy now offers over 85 HD-quality video modules on lean manufacturing topics.
We continually update the other major sections of the website, including:
- PowerPoint Presentations: Over 115 downloadable PowerPoint presentations on lean manufacturing, lean leadership, lean industries, quality, lean enterprise, and safety concepts. Special promotion: purchase a Package or Bundle of presentations and receive the Gemba Academy Lean Starter Package DVD ($97 value) at no cost.
- Factory Toolbox: Almost 300 downloadable forms, procedure templates, assessments, and tools to help you not reinvent the wheel.
- Events Calendar: a listing of lean excellence seminars, workshops, training, and conferences worldwide
- Topic Information: Summaries and resources on over 40 enterprise excellence topics.
- Virtual Factory Tours: Web and streaming video tours of over 100 factories.
For all you LinkedIn junkies, we have created a LinkedIn group for Superfactory, which now has over 5,000 members. Join the group to
network with other Superfactory enthusiasts and to show our logo on your profile. If you haven't explored LinkedIn, check it out to see why over 17 million professionals use it for networking.
We are always looking for new articles and other content. Contact us via the Superfactory website if you would like to contribute to our knowledge base.