Beyond the TPS Tools: Preparing the Soil For a Lean Transformation

Since leaving Toyota I have discovered that many other companies are missingwhat I believe to be the most crucial ingredient to ensure a successful and asustainable Lean transformation creating the right culture. Beyond The TPSTools describes from firsthand experience why Toyotas culture provides thegood soil required to deploy Lean strategies. From the green field startup ofToyotas Indiana Assembly plant to the struggles of managing at Toyotas mostseasoned plant in Kentucky, discover how my leadership style has evolvedinto a practical approach for leading Lean with a North American workforce.

Having managed in the U.S. automotive industry for over 22 years, Jon DeLong has grown as a manufacturing leader. In 1988 Jon began working as a mechanical design engineer inside Ford's Louisville Assembly Plant. Here he honed his technical capability and received his first taste of managing in a large manufacturing environment. Seeking new opportunities, Jon left Ford in 1997 and joined Toyota. In his thirteen year career he helped lead and transform the cultures at two of Toyota's largest North American assembly plants. Today Jon is an author and a freelance Lean management coach.