Blackbelts in the Last Stretch

This week commenced with the Extreme Makeover! This is the last week of the Blackbelt program.

Briefing by the host company

Blackbelts at the gemba





An example of an original Lean Sensei Lean methodology template for Blackbelts

Developing Effective Leaders, Developing A Sensei

Here is the second part of Lean Sensei's pre-conference interview with Dr. Liker.
Dr. Liker's new book is the Toyota Way to Lean Leadership. He is our keynote speaker on day 1 of the Lean Summit conference, June 18-20, 2013.

The outline of Dr. Liker's presentation as well as information on our industry speakers is on the Lean Summit webpage, http://leansummit2013.com

Greenbelt Operation Calgary Spring 2013

Congratulations to our Greenbelt class in Calgary who graduated last week!


We mean business! Look at all the space, time and money we've saved the host companies and our own companies.

Group shot!


The next Greenbelt will be in Vancouver this summer and it will be a Hybrid of Operations and Service:

Module 1: May 27-31, 2013
Module 2: June 24-28, 2013
Module 3: July 15-19, 2013

Registration is still open and can be completed online at: www.lsifuture.com/register

Photo of the day

Mike Hoseus Talks Hoshin Kanri

This is a video from our Executive event with Mike Hoseus. Here he outlines key points about implementing hoshin kanri.

See Mike Hoseus' presentation on leadership at our conference on June 18-20 at the Lean Summit. Visit: http://leansummit2013.com

A Day in the Life of a Greenbelt Participant

This week Lean Sensei kicks off the Spring session in Toronto.

Module 1 is all about 5S. The video shows the Greenbelts working to achieve at least 25% improvement. Each group must also provide recommendations so that the benefits from the strategy they've implemented can be sustained.

Can they do it? Looking forward to the report-out at the end of the week.




The next Greenbelt session is in beautiful Vancouver and at the best time to come... the summer!
Greenbelt Hybrid (Operations + Service)
Module 1: May 27-31
Module 2: June 24-28
Module 3: July 15-19

We restrict our class sizes so secure your spot today: http://lsifuture.com/register

The Blackbelts keep going and going...

Three's a charm as they say. The third and final flashmob surprise by the Blackbelts in Japan attracted a local Japanese citizen to join in the fun. Watch the video and you will notice that one of the flashmobbers is an employee of the posh hotel the Blackbelts were staying at in the city of Nagoya.


Blackbelt Flashmob in NAGOYA hotel from Lean Sensei on Vimeo.

If you're ready for the Lean experience of a lifetime email jennifer@leansensei.com. You will be put on the waiting list for the Fall 2013 session and if you don't make it in, you'll automatically be moved to the Spring 2014 list.

Blackbelt Fall 2013
Lean Strategy and Assessment Module: September 16-20, 2013
Lean Supply Chain Module: October 7-11, 2013
Japan Lean Tour: November 11-14, 2013
Extreme Makeover Kaizen: December 9-13, 2013

Click here for complete Blackbelt dates.

Another Surprise!

The spunky Winter 2013 Blackbelt class refused to settle for just one flashmob in Japan. This time, they shook things up right at the gemba of life... the train station.

Look at these Blackbelts bust a groove at Yokohama train terminal.

Blackbelt Dance Bullet Train Station Yokohama from Lean Sensei on Vimeo.

Lean Intervention

We've all seen it, the resistance to breaking away from old habits, the resistance to Lean.
Our Winnipeg class encountered just such a scenario. The following video was created by the Winnipeg Greenbelt class and documents the intervention that opened the eyes of a non-leaner and made him a believer.

(The following video is a dramatization, the business and all characters depicted here are fictional)

The next Greenbelt will be in Vancouver. This will be a hybrid session, allowing you to get the best of both the operations world and the service world.

Module 1: May 27-31
Module 2: June 17-21
Module 3: July 15-19

Register online at: www.lsifuture.com/register

Japan Lean Tour - Day Four

Day 4 was a big hit starting with a visit to Toyota's Takaoka Plant, then on to the Toyota Kaikan, where we had a chance encounter with a Toyota VIP. We finished up the tour with a stimulating stop at Mitsubishi Nagoya Works. Then it was back to the hotel for a rousing farewell dinner!

Japan Lean Tour Blog Day 3 - A post from one of our Japan Lean Tour Participants

Day 3 was busy with lots of new and exciting experiences as we said goodbye to Tokyo and sped off to Nagoya on the Shinkansen ("Bullet Train") for our last 2 days on the Lean tour.

But before we were very efficiently ushered onto our train we spent the morning at the Nissan Yokohama Plant for a 2 hour tour. So far, all the tours have been very memorable....however, I was having a discussion with another tour member and we agreed that we were missing the human experience of Lean in Japan as we hadn't yet talked to an actual employee other than tour guides.

That all changed today. We were very honoured to spend time talking to one of only four technicians at the Yokohama plant that is responsible for the delicate and highly skilled work of assembling, completely by hand (and his hands only), the engines for the Nissan GT-R. Now, I'm not a huge car buff but wow, watching the technician's eyes light up as he passionately told us about his work and how he accomplishes it was inspiring and made even me excited about cars. Unfortunately, the other production line we were to observe was having serious issues and had been completely shut down. However, that just gave us the unique opportunity to see Lean in action as we learned about how they deal with issues and problem solve.

After the approximately 1 1/2 hour Bullet Train ride to Nagoya we ended our day with a trip to the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology. The museum was quite large and covered the Toyoda history of the loom right up to the future of the Prius. There was a large section dedicated to the history and practice of Lean as well. Pretty exciting to learn about the roots of Lean while being fully immersed in Japanese culture. It all made for a very unique, special experience today.

Bring on Day 4!

Lean Tour Blog - Day 2

Day two started off with a visit to the Toyota Logistics and Forklift site. The simplicity of the improvements seem so obvious, and yet it's clear that even the smallest improvements to racking systems and picking systems is carefully thought out, implemented and then continuously improved.

One thing that stood out at both Nissan and Toyota is the amount of time spent training staff and ensuring employee readiness before team members are sent out for their roles on the shop floor. At Toyota F&L, employees are taught skills and then the practice, practice and practice some more. They only take on the role that they have been assigned on the shop floor once they are able to show that they can capably complete the task with few or no mistakes. This process usually takes 2 months. Can your organization boast that they send employees out to the shop floor fully proficient in their new roles? Or do you rush the training and just accept that you will have to correct errors as they come up, hoping that this will take less time then investing in the proper training? The later may satisfy the immediate need, but is definitely more wasteful in the long term.

Interview with Dr. Liker

David interviewed Dr. Jeffrey Liker on Lean Leadership, the theme of our conference, the Lean Summit, June 18-20.

Here is part 1 of 3 with photos from our last conference in 2009:
The interview and information about our keynotes and industry speakers are available on the Summit website: www.leansummit2013.com



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Blackbelts in Japan do a flashmob dance!

The spring Blackbelt class has been challenged to do a flash-mob style dance in the middle of downtown Tokyo!  Here's the clip (I think we surprised a lot of people who walked by!).

Day two - Japan Lean Tour

Day 2 was a great success!

Lean Tour Blog Day 1: One of our Japan Lean Tour Participants has posted this great summary of Day 1

We wrapped up day 1 of our Lean Tour with dinner and libations at Gonpachi which is a Japanese restaurant located in Ginza. The "male fish organs" in the first course were a bit intimidating for some but the meal continued more favorably and ended on a high note with everyone agreeing it was an excellent spread overall.

We started our day at the Nissan Oppama Plant. After a quick stop at a nearby "pit stop" to marvel at the selection of vending machines we arrived at Nissan and were warmly welcomed by our guide. The tour was very impressive. The constant, seemingly effortless flow, automated "trains" driving around and the obvious attention to employee safety and comfort was admirable and I've never quite seen anything like it. We learned about the Nissan Production Way (NPW) in a video after we had toured the general assembly, trim and chassis, final inspection areas, as well as the shipping docks.

After we left (and waved profusely) we were treated to a Buffet lunch at the Nikko Kawasaki Hotel's "Natura" buffet. We also had a rehearsal for our flash mob....it was amusing to see that pretty much no one stopped or even showed much interest in our antics.

Our last stop before dinner was a couple of hours at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa. We visited the sanctuary and then hit the market for some shopping. I managed to score the Hello Kitty chopsticks my 3 year old had requested so I personally felt the trip was extremely worthwhile.

Overall, I feel like the first day was a huge success and a great introduction to Tokyo and Lean in Japan. I'm excited to see what tomorrow brings as we venture to Toyota Logistics & Forklift Customer Service Centre and the Kirin Beer Village.

Day one - Japan Lean Tour

Amazing day one kick off with a visit to Nissan and a cultural tour in Asakusa.

Our Japan Lean Tour is about to start

The group is slowly arriving and we are ready for tomorrow's kick off of the program. Welcome to Japan!

Advance Storage Products is Lean!

Here at Lean Sensei, it simply warms our hearts to see our clients working Lean. Today we would like to direct the spotlight and applause to Advance Storage Products!

For Advance Storage it all began with a single Greenbelt and it is clear that they've definitely set a firm foundation and are headed towards even greater success.

Based out of the United States, Advance Storage provides quality racking products and service. This organization has a commitment to delivering excellence, being adaptable and maintaining long-term stability in addition to other goals.

Depicted below is the 5S Audit Board. It is reviewed on a regular basis, accountabilities are clear and the board is accessible to all who need to see it. Nothing unneccessary (note there's even only a single marker) is on the board. This seemingly simple tool has helped Advance Storage Products stay on top of key deliverables for that work area and at the same time ensures successes are showcased.

Way to go Advance Storage Products!

If you would like to inspire others with your success story share it in the comments below or email creative@leansensei.com

Habits and Getting Things Done

The bloom of cherry blossoms around the city signals the fourth month of the new year- a point of the year where some of our new year's resolutions have been fully implemented, while others may have fallen by the wayside. Now is a good time to revisit the goals that we had set at the beginning of the year.

In reviewing your goals, has the word “habit” surfaced in this process at all? Aristotle wisely said that “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”

If we study successful people or read books on how individuals pursued and achieved their goals and ultimately, their dreams, the word “habit” comes up. Our daily habits play a pivotal role in shaping our character and in what we consider success in our lives.

In your company’s journey to operational excellence, what habits are your teams cultivating? Has a daily huddle or end of the day hansei become part of your team’s habits? How about setting aside a specific time each month to think about some future Lean initiatives?

Tony Schwartz, CEO of Energy Products, shares the concept of making habits more automatic so that they actually require less energy to do. He speaks about productivity rituals- these being highly specific behaviors done at precise times so that they become automatic and no longer require conscious will or discipline. Ultimately these habits serve to simplify our lives and reduce the amount of energy we expend on a particular task, thus freeing up our brain to turn to more creative tasks.

He offers five rituals that work well for him.

• Abiding by a specific bedtime to ensure that he gets eight hours of sleep each night because it’s critical to the way he feels each day.

• Working out as soon as he wakes up even if he doesn’t feel like exercising. Exercise has a profound effect on how he feels all day long.

• Beginning his work day by first focusing on the most important activity he can do that day, and then taking a break to recharge.

• Immediately writing down an idea or task that occurs to him during the course of the day so that he doesn’t forget it and it doesn’t preoccupy him.

• Asking the following question when someone or something triggers him: "What's the story I'm telling myself here and how could I tell a more hopeful and empowering story about this same set of facts?"

To read more on how Tony Schwartz gets important things done, see this link.

http://blogs.hbr.org/schwartz/2011/05/the-only-way-to-get-important.html

Have a productive day!
-Lean Sensei Team

Conference Microsite is Up!

We now have a site dedicated to the Lean Summit conference on June 18-20, 2013.
Here, you can read about our keynote speakers and what they will be presenting at the Summit.
Everything you need to know about the Summit and registration for the event are all on this site. All updates will be announced on this site as well.

Come visit: http://leansummit2013.com/ !

Interview with Jeffrey Liker

Today David Chao, president of Lean Sensei International will be interviewing Dr. Jeffrey Liker in anticipation of Dr. Liker's presentation at the Lean Summit conference.

Lean Sensei's Lean conference in 2009: Dr. Jeffrey Liker and David Chao with the first Lean coffee table book by David Chao

Dr. Liker is the author of some of the most influential books on Lean. One of his most well known books is the Toyota Way. A copy of this book is part of the reading materials provided in our Operations Greenbelt program. Other recognizable titles include, the Toyota Way Fieldbook, Toyota Talent and Toyota Culture. The newest in the Toyota Way series is the Toyota Way to Lean Leadership. And Lean leadership is the theme of the Lean Sensei's conference this year.

The interview will be posted on this blog later this month. Subscribe to our blog (see top right corner of the page to subscribe) and you will be notified by email when new posts on our blog are up.

For now, here is an overview of what you can look forward to from Dr. Liker's presentation at the Summit, on June 18 (the Summit will close on June 20).

Developing Lean Leaders: The Missing Piece in Lean Transformations

Companies around the world boast about the results they achieved from their Lean programs. Yet despite all the Lean Projects that have been implemented over the past two decades, no company in any industry in the world has attained the same level of consistent operational excellence in its field as Toyota. What are these companies missing? The answer is leadership with the right skills and knowledge to teach and coach others to use disciplined approaches to process improvement.

In The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership (with Gary Convis, former Toyota Managing Officer) we present a leadership development model and use examples from Toyota to illustrate the painstaking process of growth that leaders must undergo, from developing themselves, to developing others, to leading daily kaizen and finally to maturing, in order to align goals from top to bottom and sideways using hoshin kanri (policy deployment). This one day interactive workshop will focus on how to create leaders that succeed in changing themselves so that they can lead, teach, and coach others on the long-term journey to continuous improvement. It will show how to get employees on point and on mission. If you want to get Lean, you need a dedication to self- development at the leadership level.
Secure your spot at the Summit by registering online: www.lsifuture.com/register