Synopsis
This book is of tremendous value to any construction professional that has been exposed to Lean, to any companies that have already undertaken a Lean Journey, or to those that are contemplating doing so. It is not a magic tome that provides all of the answers; nor is it a full instruction manual detailing how your Lean journey will unfold. Its purpose is not intended as such. What this book does is provide insight into what lies ahead of any company that is ready to commit to the transformation into a World-Class organization. Larry brings to the table a unique perspective; one that is pervasive in this book. While his background is in manufacturing, his thoughts and astute observations regarding Lean construction are beyond the usual mulling and instruction. What sets this book apart why it is truly unique is its wholly organizational focus. It brings three concepts together (Policy Deployment, Core Lean Tools, and Lean Construction Tools) into one all encompassing culture. As Larry points out clearly in these pages, few organizations that merely implement lean tools realize significant or sustained improvements. In order for a company to truly reinvent itself as a world-class organization, Lean must permeate and grow from within its very culture. While Lean operating principles have been gathering the attention of American businesses since the 1980 s, construction has yet to truly embrace the idea. Why has construction not yet come to realize that the way we deliver projects is an old, fragmented process? Is Lean the next evolution of the industry? Will Lean Construction, despite the current economic pressures to commoditize the delivery, come to thrive? Based on what Larry shares within these pages, we as constructors/buyers of construction services can't afford not to take a serious look.
About the Author
Larry Rubrich has over 35 years of experience in engineering and manufacturing in the automotive, industrial, and consumer products areas. He has held the positions of product engineer, chief product engineer, product manager, customer service manager, area manufacturing manager, continuous improvement manager, and general manager with Fortune 100 corporations. Larry's passion for lean developed in 1987, when he spent time in Japan studying Japanese management and manufacturing techniques. He worked directly with a top-level Japanese consulting group hired by a U.S. company to implement the Toyota Production System (TPS) in its plants. Larry continued his commitment to implementing Lean by using Lean techniques to turn around facilities at Dana Corporation and United Technologies. Larry is a registered Professional Engineer and founded WCM Associates LLC in 1997. WCM Associates LLC is a business consulting, training, and publishing company dedicated to making American companies globally competitive through the implementation of Lean/World Class Enterprise. WCM Associates specializes in Lean Manufacturing, Lean Construction, Lean Healthcare, and Lean Service. Larry and WCM Associates first began Lean Construction training in 2003 with Grunau Company, a Milwaukee based MEP subcontractor (Grunau is now a division of the API group). WCM Associates has completed Lean training at Willis A. Smith Construction, CenterPoint Engineering, CG Schmidt, Jamar Company, Tweet/Garot Mechanical and others. Larry, along with Ted Angelo, co-presented Using Lean Value Stream Mapping (VSM) in Support of Target Value Design at the 2011 Lean Construction Institute (LCI) Congress meeting in Pasadena. In October, 2011, Larry presented Sustaining Lean to the LCI Chapter meeting held in Milwaukee. Larry has written several widely acclaimed books on Lean, including: Implementing World Class Manufacturing, co-authored with fellow associate, Mattie Watson. How to Prevent Lean Implementation Failures 10 Reasons Why Failures Occur. Policy Deployment and Lean Implementation Planning 10 Step Roadmap to Successful Policy Deployment Using Lean as a System, co-authored with fellow associate, Vince Fayad. WCM Associates is also recognized for publishing other cutting-edge books on Lean, including the Shingo Prize winning Lean accounting book Who s Counting? A Lean Accounting Novel, by Jerry Solomon.
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