Greenbelt Hybrid Spring Module 2

It was a busy week for our Greenbelt Hybrid Spring class as they wrapped up their second module today. Our clients started the week off learning about MBTI, Takt time and other valuable skills and tools that were applied during their Kaizen in the later half of the week.

Congrats and good luck to you all. We look forward to seeing you in your next and final module.

Japan’s Love Affair with Sakura

Each spring, for just a few weeks, Japan falls under the mesmerizing spell of sakura or cherry blossoms.  Teams of meteorologists are eagerly dispatched to provide sakura zensen – detailed, up-to-date reports  - on the cherry blossoms, as they begin to sweep through the Japanese archipelago, beginning in the south.  Enchanted with the wave of unfurling blossoms, the nation celebrates.  Familiar shades of pink adorn shopping bags.  Restaurants offer time limited sakura items on their menus. Sakura inspired confectionary items beckon shoppers to indulge, and Starbucks serves their Sakura lattes.

Families descend on parks in the hundreds for their annual sakura hanami – a picnic or party to enjoy the blossoms.  (Hanami means to view flowers).   Companies have even been known to assign a staff member the task of sitting all day in a park,  to reserve a spot for the evening hanami party.

The wave of pink evokes new beginnings: the start of the rice-planting season; the beginning of the fiscal year and school year; and for many college graduates, the start of a new job.    

Why the obsession with this delicate, pink flower, which has been celebrated for centuries in Japanese art, literature and poetry?  Plum blossoms, it could be argued are equally beautiful, and their flowers can last a month.  Many people can’t tell the difference between the flowers of a cherry blossom and those of the plum blossom.  To make sense of Japan’s fascination with the cherry blossom, we need to appreciate two concepts in Japanese aesthetics – mujo and mono no aware.   

One of the qualities of Japanese aesthetics is the preference for perishability.  Lafcaido Hearn, an international writer on Japanese landscapes and culture, noted that “generally speaking, we construct for endurance, the Japanese for impermanency. “  For the Japanese, an object of beauty can be all the more beautiful because of its impermanence or mujo.  Kenko, an ancient Buddhist priest goes as far as saying that impermanence is essential to beauty.  Such is the cherry blossom, whose blooming time can be shortened further by spring’s temperamental weather.   The essence of the sakura’s beauty lies in its ephemeral and perishable nature. 

Closely connected to the concept of impermanence is mono no aware.  Translated, mono no aware refers to the wistfulness or sadness that accompanies the transitory nature of things.  The subtleties of this expression connote that beauty and joy in this world are often accompanied by the finite nature of things, and by the bittersweet emotions of change.  The allure of the sakura would be diminished if the blossoms lasted for a month.  It is because of their evanescent beauty that they are celebrated.  In Japan the metaphor extends further to life itself.  Life is rich with beauty, but life is also transient and tinged with sadness.  Mujo and mono no aware are gentle reminders to focus on what is important and precious, and  savour life’s moments. 

Lean Sensei International’s spring Japan Lean Tour kicked off this week.  See our previous posts from this week.

If you’re interested in joining our fall Japan Lean Tour, or interested in our fall Blackbelt program, which includes the Lean Tour, please contact our office at 604-264-1000.

Here are some comments from clients that have visited Japan with us. 

The level of excellence and care provided by the LSI staff is second to none. From the coachers, to the logistics and planning, to the translation, the LSI staff is top notch.

– Colin Jones, Solutions Architect, BCIT

The best Lean manufacturing benchmarking tour on the planet!

– Mike Jolly, Vice President of Operations, Marvin Engineering

Quote of the day

"If you can't imagine the future, you can't achieve your goals."

Japan Lean Tour Day 2 (BB Spring 2017 Spring)

What a fun day 2 of the Japan Lean Tour! With this energetic and fun group, the tour is becoming more and more exciting!

Today, we have visited an ice cream factory called Akagi Nyugyo in Saitama prefecture next to Tokyo. We had a wonderful tour and at last, we had all you can eat ice cream!! Many people enjoyed 2-5 ice cream and ice candy bars! Yummy!

After that, we have visited a place to make our own wind chime!
The instructor was very entertaining and Wow, we had a lot of people who are so talented!

Please also watch our very first flash mob in Asakusa!

Vancouver Blackbelt Spring 2017 Class is in Japan!!

Here we are! The BB class is enjoying Beautiful Japanese Spring!!!

No Struggle vs Meaningful Challenge

Lean is Green: Lean and Sustainability

"Leading companies are now finding that a green supply chain doesn’t just improve the public’s perception of their company and brand; it saves money by using resources more efficiently and reducing waste."

Lean principles focus on the reduction or elimination of waste in processes. As such, Lean thinking is green thinking, and is in many ways naturally symbiotic.

 

Therefore, Lean organizations already have a foothold on going green. Lean paragons showcase this fact:

Toyota, the model for Lean production systems at companies worldwide, is also a leader in energy and environmental performance:

• Since 2000, Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America has reduced the average facility energy consumption per vehicle produced by 30%, resulting in a corresponding reduction in the CO2 emissions of its facilities
• In fiscal year 2006, Toyota’s North American facilities reduced energy use per vehicle by 7% while increasing production by 4% Toyota used methods such as energy treasure hunts and kaizen events to achieve these results

The Boeing Company

• Boeing Everett realized resource productivity improvements of 30-70 percent from Lean initiatives
• Eliminated the use of 350 cubic feet of cardboard and bubble wrap packing material per 747 wing panel set
• Reduced chemical usage per airplane by 11.6 percent Boeing Auburn Defects have been reduced from 1,200/10,000 in 1996 to fewer than 300/10,000 presently
• Reduced floor space by 200,000 square feet

Trends in Sustainability

1. Climate change and growing energy needs
2. Future generations
3. Improve profits
4. Political pressures and becoming mainstream
5. Clean technology

How has Lean helped your organization become more green?
What can you do to perpetuate the crescendo towards a more Lean and more green organization?

This is the first in our Lean is Green series. We hope you enjoy it. You can leave your comments below or on our LinkedIn page.

Blackbelt Vancouver Spring 2017 - Module 2 Video

Here is the Blackbelt Vancouver Spring 2017 module 2 video for you to enjoy!
Thank you Dena for taking your time to create one!

BLACKBELT March 2017 from Lean Sensei Leanbelt on Vimeo.

BC Job Grant Information Update!

Hi everyone!

There have been important updates about BC Job Grant Info.
Please refer to their site for further information.

If you are not sure what BC Job Grant is.

"The Canada-B.C. Job Grant (CJG) is an employer-driven, cost-sharing program that helps employers invest in training for their current or future employees. The CJG assists eligible employers to offset the cost of training up to a maximum of $10,000 per participant per fiscal year, and up to a maximum of $15,000 per participant per fiscal year for the Unemployed Stream. The employer contributes at least one-third to the cost of training, with the exception of the Unemployed stream. The employer of all streams must have a job for the participant at the end of training.

The goals of the CJG are to increase participation of British Columbians in the labour force by helping them develop the skills they need to find and keep a job. The CJG is also an opportunity for employers to invest in training that is better aligned to job opportunities. Please refer to CJG criteria to fully understand the eligibility requirements of the program before you apply."

BC Job Grant is a great opportunity for your organization and employees.
For details of the upcoming Lean Sensei International programs, please contact Angelia Aizawa (604-264-1000).

Greenbelt Operations Treehouse Winter 2017 Module 2!

Greenbelt module 2 is a challenging module with high intensity training and hands on implementation. Well done to this group for getting through the week and with mostly smiles still on their faces!  

Weekly Hansei

“Walk with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their heads in the clouds and their feet on the ground. Let their spirit ignite a fire within you to leave this world better than when you found it...”
~ Wilferd Peterson

As you reflect on the past several days, who inspired you to make your company, your neighbourhood, your community a better place, this week?

Greenbelt Operations Winter Module 2

It was a busy but fun-filled week for our Greenbelt Operations class who spent 2 days in the classroom and 3 days applying their new knowledge at their hands-on Kaizen. Take a look at what they've been up to!

Great job team, we look forward to your last and final module with us :)

Photos from our local and international training spots

We are very fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful cities in the word, but LSI is also thankful to have the opportunity to visit many other amazing cities in the world. Here are some of the best photos taken by David Chao as he and his team travels to teach the concepts of lean thinking...