Implementation and Maintaining Lean Guide book - Seeking recommendations and reviews

Hello all,

I will in the very near future be venturing into the Lean world. Along with reading the posts here in the cove, I have a small understanding about what lean is.

I am looking for a guide book that covers the bascis of lean from implementing it to maintaining it.

Any suggestions?

There are a lot of lean books in Amazon, but I´ll recommend

Lean Six Sigma - George Group
Learning to See - Lean Enterprise Institute
Lean Toolkit Workbooks - Lean Enterprise Institute

Cheers

gard2372 said:

Hello all,

I will in the very near future be venturing into the Lean world. Along with reading the posts here in the cove, I have a small understanding about what lean is.

I am looking for a guide book that covers the bascis of lean from implementing it to maintaining it.

Any suggestions?

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SAE has two documents that might interest you:

Identification and Measurement of Best Practice in Implementation of Lean Operation

Implementation of Lean Operation User Manual

Goal QPC has some of the best materials out there.

www.goalqpc.com

gard2372 said:

Hello all,

I will in the very near future be venturing into the Lean world. Along with reading the posts here in the cove, I have a small understanding about what lean is.

I am looking for a guide book that covers the bascis of lean from implementing it to maintaining it.

Any suggestions?

Click to expand...

There isn't any "one" guidebook out there in my opinion. There are some good books on certain aspects of the system though. Right off the bat, don't jump into anything with "Lean Six Sigma" in the title. It will just muddy the waters per se.

For a broad overview, but which really doesn't speak about implementation, there is the proverbial "Lean Thinking", by Womack.

"Learning to See", which is all about Value-Stream Mapping is a must have as it helps to identify the Current State. Value-Stream Mapping will also help you identify which tools are needed to build the Future State.

Pick up a catalog or just use the website for Productivity Press. The shopfloor series are pretty good for a crash course on some of the specific topics.

If your involved in manufacturing then you definately need a reference on Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), because if the equipment isn't working then little else matters. Try:

"Introduction to Tpm: Total Productive Maintenance (Preventative Maintenance Series)", by Seiichi Nakajima

and

"Equipment Planning for Tpm: Maintenance Prevention Design (Total Productive Maintenance Series)", by Fumio Gotoh


A few others:

"5 Pillars of the Visual Workplace", by Hiroyuki Hirano.
"Toyota Production Systems", by Yasuhiro Monden

I'd say that is the short list for now, not too mention a bit of a dent in the bank account. I hate to say it, but many of the "newer" books on Lean are pretty poor.

Also....ask lot's of questions. Check out a Lean.org's website and their forum.

Best of luck,

Wayne

wmarhel said:

I hate to say it, but many of the "newer" books on Lean are pretty poor. Wayne

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Thanks for everyone's recommendations. I do agree that as of the last few years many poor publications have surfaced due to the fad surfing and "hype" that Lean, six sigma, etc.. Have gotten in publicity.

I think I will buy an older book on lean.

By the way Wayne, most of your book references I noticed favored Japanese influence on the subject matter. I was wondering what personal/professional experiences have led you to recommend these books in lieu of others. Not judging just curious...

gard2372 said:

By the way Wayne, most of your book references I noticed favored Japanese influence on the subject matter. I was wondering what personal/professional experiences have led you to recommend these books in lieu of others. Not judging just curious...

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I think the one advantage of some of the older books on Lean stemmed from people who were directly involved in the implementation of these techniques and were closer to the source. That isn't to say that there aren't quality books by English authors out there, but it comes down to a more unadulterated version.

Some will argue that the initial books are more of a "purist" approach and that the variables the average Joe will encounter are not as cut-and-dry. I say it doesn't matter. Learning the root of the technique pays bigger dividends in the long run, although it takes longer to get there.

I also think the Japanese author maintain the focus that there are a whole lot of other things that need to occur, and other methods that also need to be in place in order to support the system. Many of the books by Western authors tend to lean toward a marketing attempt in order to convince you that they should be your consultant. They take the standpoint that the method or technique they are writing about is the holy grail which will save your business.

Wayne

Also see , it is free:

Facilities & Workplace Design: An Illustrated Guide

Mr. Lee just put everything he knows about facilities design in this book in a way that can be easily followed by any one interested in doing facilities and workplace design.Areas for improvement relate to the quality of some charts that I found a little difficult to read. If you are looking for a "how to do it" in a simple and straightforward way, without any unnecessary material, you need this book. -Lean Manufacturing, Lean Office operations, teams, workcells and downsizing - are changing the face of facilities. This step-by-step guide helps plan facilities that will serve for many years. It is full of illustrations, tables, forms and tools. Many examples taken from the author's consulting experience show how the principles and techniques apply across diverse real-life situations

http://www.strategosinc.com/dl0_facdes.htm

jrubio said:

Also see , it is free:

Facilities & Workplace Design: An Illustrated Guide

Mr. Lee just put everything he knows about facilities design in this book in a way that can be easily followed by any one interested in doing facilities and workplace design.Areas for improvement relate to the quality of some charts that I found a little difficult to read. If you are looking for a "how to do it" in a simple and straightforward way, without any unnecessary material, you need this book. -Lean Manufacturing, Lean Office operations, teams, workcells and downsizing - are changing the face of facilities. This step-by-step guide helps plan facilities that will serve for many years. It is full of illustrations, tables, forms and tools. Many examples taken from the author's consulting experience show how the principles and techniques apply across diverse real-life situations

http://www.strategosinc.com/dl0_facdes.htm

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Thanks it is a valuable guide. I will most likely give to our facility manager.

jrubio said:

Also see , it is free:

Facilities & Workplace Design: An Illustrated Guide

Mr. Lee just put everything he knows about facilities design in this book in a way that can be easily followed by any one interested in doing facilities and workplace design.Areas for improvement relate to the quality of some charts that I found a little difficult to read. If you are looking for a "how to do it" in a simple and straightforward way, without any unnecessary material, you need this book. -Lean Manufacturing, Lean Office operations, teams, workcells and downsizing - are changing the face of facilities. This step-by-step guide helps plan facilities that will serve for many years. It is full of illustrations, tables, forms and tools. Many examples taken from the author's consulting experience show how the principles and techniques apply across diverse real-life situations

http://www.strategosinc.com/dl0_facdes.htm

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The link is dead. Cannot download the book. If anyone has already downloaded it earlier please let me know.
Thanks.