[AT] Big Truck Pickups

[Mark Johnson]

I should be more fair...the application of Lean did not cause the 
financial difficulties - those are endemic to the company and have been 
for a couple of decades - but the organization has not, in my view, 
benefited significantly from their use. There is still (I left their 
employ about 15 months ago) a severe tendency toward administrative 
bloat and decision-making that takes place at entirely too high a level. 
The local site manager here doesn't even have the authority to close the 
office when the weather is impossible (e.g., a 12-15 inch snow, which 
happened twice while I worked there).

Personally, I found the Lean principles to be viable but the company is 
one of those "Lean in Name Only" users. I do question the use of Lean in 
the delivery of IT services because they aren't a production line.  Each 
customer's services are unique in many ways, and it seems really 
difficult to create a standard service catalog.

Mark J

On 12/1/2019 9:05 AM, Stephen Offiler wrote:
> Hold on a second there Mark.  Since I've already stated my position as 
> a proponent of Lean/TPS, I should probably play devil's advocate 
> here.  You imply the application of TPS has caused financial 
> difficulties.  I suspect the reality is the financial difficulties 
> came first, TPS was perhaps one of many tools employed to turn the 
> barge around, and we have no way of knowing whether the decline might 
> have been even worse had they not tried TPS.
>
> SO
>
> On Sun, Dec 1, 2019 at 8:30 AM Mark Johnson 
> <markjohnson100 at centurylink.net 
> <mailto:markjohnson100 at centurylink.net>> wrote:
>
>     A former employer (3-letter IT company with a 100+ year history,
>     otherwise to remain nameless) has been trying to apply TPS to
>     information technology services. Its NYSE stock price should tell
>     you how successful they have been...
>
>     Mark J
>
>     Columbia, MO
>
>     On 11/30/2019 7:27 AM, Stephen Offiler wrote:
>>     Absolutely. The Toyota Production System (TPS) is studied around
>>     the world and applied in every imaginable industry as "Lean
>>     Manufacturing" and in service industries like hospitals as simply
>>     "Lean".
>>
>>     I have a couple decades of experience with Lean Mfg. and I would
>>     count myself as a proponent although I've also seen some of the
>>     Achilles' Heels.  It is a very collaborative system at its core,
>>     and won't work well unless the entire workforce is engaged.  In
>>     short what I'm saying is that I cannot imagine a UAW shop
>>     embracing Lean.
>>
>>     On Sat, Nov 30, 2019 at 7:42 AM James Peck
>>     <jamesgpeck at hotmail.com <mailto:jamesgpeck at hotmail.com>> wrote:
>>
>>         Toyota does a really good job at controlling the
>>         manufacturing process. Not so good at the attractive design
>>         process.  Toyota refused an offer to take GM for free in the
>>         2008 GM bankruptcy. That was an extremely wise decision.
>>         Everything necessary to make GM work well would have been
>>         politically unpopular.
>>
>>         Remember, Toyota can manufacture cars and trucks in the US
>>         using Americans and make money. There may be more.
>>
>>         Steve Offiler AT List member Mechanical Engineer
>>         (soffiler at gmail.com <mailto:soffiler at gmail.com>); So which
>>         automotive companies in your estimation are not run by
>>         cabbage heads?
>>
>>         James AT List Member (jamesgpeck at hotmail.com
>>         <mailto:jamesgpeck at hotmail.com>); They have cabbage heads
>>         running Ford as well. The recent Ranger is far less
>>         attractive than the one that preceded it.
>>
>>         Steve Offiler AT List member Mechanical Engineer
>>         (soffiler at gmail.com <mailto:soffiler at gmail.com>); <snip> I've
>>         paid so little attention to the return of the Ranger that I
>>         barely could tell you it exists.  <snip>
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