Give a listen… In this episode, JP is thankful to have a regular guest at The Outliers Inn, Don “Beer Man” Burshnick, able to step up and be the co-host on zero notice because Mule has forgotten (yet again) to be in a state of readiness to fulfill his hostly duties. Thanks Beer Man! Beer...

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Give a listen… Mule welcomes everyone to The Outliers Inn and introduces this episode’s theme; harvest time. And he kicks-off the conversation by sharing what he is presently harvesting from his garden; including sunflowers.  Mule shares how there is some insect that infests the sunflowers and attacks the seeds so that they are empty.  Not...

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Give a listen… Mule kicks of the conversation at The Outliers Inn with the season wrap of robots season. Kids being kids, they start off wearing their “Sunday best” and end-up dragging the duds through the grass playing frisbee after the official goings-on are done. JP laments about how packed the flights are. But that...

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Unless you are a person that firmly believes there will be a second wave – or even that there might be a second wave –  the reactions and measures taken to the COVID-19 pandemic are starting to calm down and the world is beginning to unwind the measures that have been put in place; albeit...

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Ben Nicholson is an experienced Operational Excellence, Continuous Improvement and Process Re-engineering leader within financial services. He has led major projects in a number of the world’s major banks resulting in change and process improvement. In this exclusive interview for the BTN, Ben shares his views regarding changes within operational excellence, the use of continuous...

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Strategy is the single most important responsibility of senior executives. Unfortunately, many companies fail or struggle to develop effective models in an increasingly complex environment. As a result, contemporary strategic-planning processes don’t help enterprises cope with some of the biggest problems they face. These strategy issues are inherently, tough and persistent, in fact, they are...

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This is the story of how Takata’s failures led to lethal products and the biggest auto recall in history. When Carlos Solis was driving a familiar route in his 2002 Honda Accord, little did he expect that the built in airbags meant to protect him in case of an accident, would be the cause of his death....

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5S. Five short Japanese words, each beginning with an “S”. The majority of employees in the industrial sector, and increasingly in the public sector, have heard about the “5Ss”. The problem? The vast majority of companies trying to “implement” 5S fails, and does so repeatedly. Many mistake it as a concept for cleaning and tidying...

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Expected to open in June 2011, the Berlin Brandenburg International Willy Brandt Airport was intended to handle 27 million passengers a year and be crowned as Europe’s “most modern”. But as it were, inspectors consisting of a team of logistics, safety, and aviation experts could hardly believe their eyes upon performing a series of checks and...

This post How Berlin’s Futuristic Airport Became a $6 Billion Embarrassment appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

Not ready for the planned product launch Time-To-Market? Too many warranty recalls? Have you missed the most important detail for your customers? Are any of these your questions? Are these the reasons you are interested in Design for Six Sigma (DFSS)? If your answer is a definite YES! Then you’d better read further. However, be...

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Lean Thinking Fundamentals: The Building Block for a Lean Management System It is vitally important for lean people to know nothing when it comes to working towards improvement. This sounds like a crazy idea, and it is a 100% turnaround from traditional management thinking. This article discusses the fundamentals of Lean Thinking, a building block...

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Gone are the days when Beijing was considered one of the more pleasant capitals of the world. Something terrible and life-threatening is literally overshadowing its parks, centuries-old palaces, history and culture. The grey fog which is covering Beijing is caused by copious amounts of chronic air pollution, which now ranks the city as one of the worst...

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Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is the formal search for an individual or group of interacting true causes of a problem. The trick is to use the right tool to identify the root cause of a problem and not just the symptoms of a problem. It is common to find more than just one root cause...

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Recently, technical discussions at a recent company revealed that there were four different meanings for the term “uptime”. In addition, at another global manufacturer, four plants in the same country utilized different definitions of OEE.  Often, the data sources used, as well as the variable definitions and computational procedures are different. Also, plants tend to develop their...

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I have been quizzed by some readers, “What do currencies in general – and the challenges facing the Euro and its member countries in particular – have to do with Operational Excellence?” For that matter, what do discussions that involve “geo-politics” have to do with Operational Excellence? Both are very fair questions. Operational Excellence is a philosophy...

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I hear people talking about “WIP” and I have to say that I have no Idea what they are talking about.  Also, I hear this “WIP thing” used when they want to reduce the time it takes to do parts in a manufacturing plant.  What are they talking about, and how can this help me speed up...

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The nation of Greece is bankrupt. Let’s just say it plainly and simply.  Let’s not use “poli-speak” words aimed at soothing the sting or trying to maintain someone’s self-esteem such as; “insolvent”, or “challenged”, or “bust”. And let’s be even more plain, any manner of restructuring of debt, other than “arm’s length” transaction, is the admission of...

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The directive was clear, “You have a week to find a way to defuse our ‘process bombs.”  This was the challenge put out by the new Vice President at a Fortune 200 company upon inheriting a business process fraught with delays and errors. It is amazing what a sense of urgency and an aggressive deadline will...

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I know this title is a little provocative. It is supposed to be!! Two different ways… two different feelings! How would you feel if someone tells you that you have to change? There’s no choice. How would you feel when you have sufficient experience to perceive why you need to change, how you can change...

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From time to time, I enjoy a good read of “the classics”. I am not certain why the classics are not taught in grade-school anymore – it is a shame.  There are so many basic life-lessons that transcend the ages and generations and can be gleaned with grand richness from the tales of literary greats...

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Even though this article has a “How to” in the title, it’s more of a rant than a guide. I’m really disgusted by the lack of courtesy and humanity in the business world these days: urgent messages ignored… favors never acknowledged… passive-aggressive behavior in the conference room… promises broken… I’m sure you can add your...

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Possibility Deficit Disorder (PDD) is the pervasive and persistent experience of ‘no possibility’ now, and no attractive prospects in the future.  PDD is widespread in modern times.  At a national level, it is evidenced in the lack of ambitious ventures in technology development, industrial policy, educating necessary resources, infrastructure planning, national security, and transportation.  PDD can be observed...

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The world is littered with examples where once promising opportunities became a source of ongoing disappointment and loss.  Key projects, partnerships, mergers, new technology and programs – we launch these things with fanfare and an enthusiastic press release, only to suffer as a helpless spectator as conflict erupts, innovation fizzles and profits disappear. What once seemed...

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