The Lean Primer: Solutions for the Job Shop

The Lean Primer will allow you to train the organization to understand how critical the implementation of Lean principles and processes are to your short and long term success. It will provide the various reasons why an organization must go Lean, as well as detailing what Lean is. Lean will be explained in the terms of Stabilize, Flow, and Sustain with reference to the following topics of lean vision, waste, value stream mapping, 5S, takt time, buffer and safety stock, continuous flow, standard work, quick changeover, kanban, visual controls, mistake-proofing, leveling, paced withdrawal, visual production control, runners, TPM, and kaizen. Each of these tools will also be explained with digital photos from world-class shops from across the US that shared their best practices.

Roger Kremer is a degreed engineer from The Ohio State Unversity. Roger has been implementing Lean (and its predessor TQM) for over 30 years, with 25 years with Eaton Corporation. Roger served on the Lean Council for Eaton Corporation providing valuable insight into corporate wide Lean initiatives. Roger shares his experiences, expertise, and insights in The Lean Primer. Tom Fabrizio has been implementing Lean Systems for more than twenty years. His original Lean training was by leading experts in improvement technologies, including Dr. Shigeo Shingo (co-architect of the Toyota Production System), Dr. Ryuji Fukuda, and experts from Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance. After leaving Productivity in the mid-1990s, Tom co-founded the Healthcare Coalition, whose purpose it was to implement Lean in the medical industry, especially in hospitals and clinics. He later founded Lean Manufacturing Tools. Tom has extensive experience in applying Lean in emergency rooms, operating rooms, patient care facilities, administrative processes, and inventory control. Tom holds an engineering degree from Tufts University, a Masters Degree in Education from Northeastern University, and a Law Degree from England School of Law.