Articles

E109: Applying Lean Tools to Environmental and Social Challenges – Lean Global Connection 2023

In this podcast, I share the presentation I gave virtually at the Lean Global Connection on December 1, 2023. It is a free annual online event put on by the Lean Global Network (LGN). The event took place over a 24-hour period. All the presentations were recorded, and I encourage you to check out all

Sofa manufacturer deploys Lean to reduce glue and electricity – Kaizen Institute

A company aimed to increase mattress production efficiency, eliminate component overproduction in the sofa manufacturing process, and significantly reduce workplace accidents. In addition, they were looking to  increase sustainability and business growth by implenting Lean. They focused on optimizing glue usage and electricity consumption. They reduced material waste by 2%, eliminated excess components by 95%, and

E108: Interview with Maria Grzanka and Reed Harrison

In this podcast, I share an interview I had with Reed Harrison, Executive Director of Mind Matters Portland, and Maria Grzanka, a process improvement expert and prolific volunteer in Portland, Oregon. Reed worked in Supply Chain management and Operations with major companies like Adidas and Columbia Sportswear, but ended up as Executive Director at Mind

E107: Lean Methods for Sustainable Businesses – ISBF Webinar Series

In this podcast, I share a presentation that was Part 1 of a 2-part sustainability webinar series sponsored by Iowa Sustainable Business Forum and Iowa Lean Consortium (part of CIRAS). It was geared towards introducing those in sustainability roles to Lean methods, which have become some of the most popular improvement methods used in high-performing

Growing sustainably with Lean Thinking

Norwegian furniture manufacturer Haugstad Møbel expanded its lean transformation and employee engagement efforts towards the future. They were able to transform their culture and unlock the potential of sustainable product growth through a program to teach the next generation how to re-sell, re-furbish, and re-use furniture. Circular HUB is a learning factory where kids aged

E106: Lean and Green Case Study – Prefab Home Manufacturer Saves $300K

In this podcast, I share a “Lean and Green” case study I supported for a prefab home manufacturer in California in 2020-2021. I was asked to speak to the Industrial and Systems Engineers class by Professor Corey Kiassat at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT. He contacted me after my presentation at the Lean Global Connection

E105: Improving Government Services to Protect Children and Elections with Kerry L. Bass

In this podcast, I interview Kerry Lewis Bass, who has many years of experience improving processes in the corporate world and within government agencies. He has recently launched his consulting business to assist leaders in an organization to “develop, and successfully implement, assess and improve operational strategy and initiatives.” We discuss his work in government

E104: How Process Improvement Can Help Address Climate Change with David Saunders

In this episode, I speak with David Saunders, who is a retired Quality consultant and has focused his next career on using improvement tools to reduce the impact of climate change. He is a Certified Climate Change Professional (CC-P) through the Association of Climate Change Officers (ACCO), and volunteers with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

E103: Applying Lean and Social Responsibility within Interface with Billy Ingram

In this episode, I speak with my good friend Billy Ingram, who is the Director of Lean Product and Process Development at Interface. We discuss his process improvement background prior to Interface, then talk about his current work that is extending the environmental sustainability vision provided by founder Ray Anderson. He has helped developed more

E102: How Massport uses Lean to Achieve Sustainable Airport Operations

In this podcast, I share a webinar held with Dr. Luciana Bardi and Darcy DeGeorge from the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport). MassPort is a state authority responsible for three airports including Logan International Airport, four maritime facilities as well as real estate in Boston. They give an overview of Massport along with the lean engineering