Going Lean: How the Best Companies Apply Lean Manufacturing Principles to Shatter Uncertainty, Drive Innovation, and Maximize Prof - Paperback

by Stephen A. Ruffa (Author)

Efficient operations and powerful innovations are not limited to seasons of growth and high demand. Going Lean introduces the powerful yet unexpected mind-set that's reshaping the rules for business competitiveness: Lean Dynamics (TM). This approach, based on the now-famous Toyota Production System--empowers companies to thrive in virtually any environment--even when sudden shifts occur or they experience unpredictable conditions. Through a detailed exploration of this approach, readers will learn how to: become broadly effective in creating and sustaining value; set a critical foundation for achieving sustained excellence; identify sources of lag and create robust value streams that thrive in today's dynamic conditions; describe the underlying techniques to maintain steady and predictable flow; create a system based on "pull," or external demand that consistently introduces new innovation; strive for perfection; and deliver industry-leading returns. Led by a new breed of companies--Toyota, Walmart, and Southwest Airlines--this innovative mind-set changes the game for businesses everywhere. Going Lean teaches readers how their companies--big or small--can leverage this revolutionary thinking to measure and achieve real results.

Back Jacket

With excellent timing, considering recent events in the global economy, this book demonstrates how companies can use lean principles to help them steer through tough times. Using examples from successful companies that survived crises such as 9/11 and the resulting economic downturn, as well as the oil crisis of 1980s, Ruffa shows how the techniques those companies used can be employed to help weather a crisis."

--Houston Business Journal "In GOING LEAN, Stephen A. Ruffa spotlights examples from the automotive, airline, and retail industries, offering potent lessons on how companies drive innovation, promote sustainability and create value in the face of uncertainty. The backbone of the book lies in the well-thumbed ideologies of the Toyota Production System." ---T&D magazine "Ruffa describes the concept of lean dynamics for use in improving business during uncertain times, which combines lean manufacturing with initiatives that use internal measures to deal with external conditions. He argues that efficient operations and innovation do not have to only occur in times of stability and uses examples from companies like Toyota, Southwest Airlines, and Wal-Mart for illustration. Ruffa is an aerospace engineer and researcher who originated the concept of lean dynamics." ---Book News (Annotation (c)2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR) Book News: http: //booknews.com/ref_issues/ref_nov2008/amacom1.html

Author Biography

Stephen A. Ruffa (Oak Hill, VA) is an engineer who worked for the American Defense Department and researched lean manufacturing across seventeen large aerospace producers. His previous book, Breaking the Cost Barrier: A Proven Approach to Managing and Implementing Lean Manufacturing was awarded the 2001 Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing Research.