Cassandra Mitchell

"Lean manufacturing is about cutting jobs." I feel like part of a clean-up crew whenever I hear this comment. Typically, this line of thinking is the result of someone being uninformed because no one clarified the intent of Lean or misinformed, meaning someone spread this message to others. Can these principles be used to reduce labor and, therefore, jobs? Yes, of course. But like most devices, they can be weaponized by the user and not necessarily because that's the nature of the device or its intended use by the originators. Here's the truth: These principles help manufacturers enable profitable growth. If you can function efficiently and delight your customers, they will reward you with more and more business, leading to exponential growth. People get confused when they have a short-term and often self-centered perspective. When they see their work hours reduced because of gained efficiencies, they fail to realize that this will be a short-term effect and that the sales department will look to fill that surplus capacity with additional work. Always adopt the abundance mindset. Manufacturers should never grow profitability by focusing solely on cutting costs. You will become more efficient and absorb additional sales; that's how everyone wins. Watch this video from a recent presentation at a North Texas Chapter NTMA meeting, where I explain how manufacturers should think about Lean. #lean #leadership #manufacturing #leanmanufacturing

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Sometimes Improvement types are crap at seeing 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚, though we like to believe that we're somehow better than others. Ask me where I can improve, I have a list of dozens of competency gaps! Ask me where I'm excelling, I fall rather quiet. Today, I challenge myself to be less quiet... One day, CEOs of large manufacturing companies will both 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 call me to respectfully challenge their thinking, to rehumanize their organizations. Why? Because, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭, 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐄𝐎𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬. Because I ask questions that require courage. And 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐂𝐄𝐎𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬. *CEOs*, who sees you as a whole human, creates a safe space to be deeply challenged, and walks with you (albeit over hot coals) to rehumanize work, to improve work by respecting humanity (starting with yourself)?! Oh, and to *Improvement types* - we're not great at seeing reality, we're great at seeing gaps - level it out, for your sake and for those who you serve. For today, "seeing reality" looks like sharing this shoutout from one of my favorite authors, status quo challengers, and real Lean proponents, Bob Emiliani. Thank you. 𝐸𝑥𝑒𝑐𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝐶𝑜𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑠 𝑞𝑢𝑜. 𝐸𝑥𝑒𝑐𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑀𝑖𝑑𝑤𝑖𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑟𝑒ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑧𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠. Please be encouraged to ask me about that.

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𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬. 𝐒𝐨 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐎𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭? A continuous improvement director looks at the reasons behind middle and lower-level managers’ resistance to change, and shares insights on how to turn that around. https://lnkd.in/giGWCUFr IndustryWeek | #Manufacturing | #Leadership

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The design phase is critical to how well a tool and part are going to run for the life of the program. With our help, we ensure quality and longevity is built in up front. #automotiveplastics #injectionmolding #manufacturing

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There really is something special that happens when you get a group together to focus on kaizen... True North Thinking Inc. #TPS #toyotaproductionsystem #toyotaway #TnTkaizen #continuousimprovement #processimprovement #peopledevelopment #leadershipdevelopment #kaizen #PDCA #quality #problemsolving

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Custom tooling in the blink of an eye! This week the shop worked hard on this custom carbide endmill! Contact Valley Tool for all your custom tooling needs. #customtooltuesday #shortleadtimes #manufacturing #cnc #carbide #cncmachining #customtools #customtooling #cnctools #cnctooling #valleytool #carbidetools #customs #toolingsolutions #manufacturingindustry #manufacturingsolutions #cuttingtools #cuttingtool #customcuttingtool

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Micro injection molding is what I LOVE! See this TRIPLE overmolded accessory. This one was a challenge, but they run so smooth! Penny for scale. #injectionmolding #cncmachining #machinist

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Wrapping up another Lean Training session, our team at Akuratemp focused on identifying waste within our production process!🌎 The Lean Methodology identifies eight different kinds of waste that occur during manufacturing operations: Over/Under Production, Waiting, Unnecessary Transportation, Over/Under Processing, Excess Inventory, Unnecessary Motion, Defects, and Unused Creativity of Team Members. As we identified waste, we took a look at how these affect our production flow and explored ways to eliminate them to improve flow, efficiency, and creativity. Big shout-out to Tulay Yucebas for leading another awesome Continuous Improvement Training session! #continuousimprovement #healthcareinnovation #productionflow

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Many professionals want to learn Lean Manufacturing, but confused on what books to read?. I am giving a list of BEST books on Lean Manufacturing (My Top 5). 1. The Toyota Way - Jeffrey Liker 2. The Machine That Changed the World - James Womack, Daniel Jones, Daniel Roos 3. Gemba Kaizen - Masaaki Imai 4. Toyota Production System - Taiichi Ohno 5. A series of 4 books by Lean Enterprise Institute 1. Learning to See 2. Creating Continuous Flow 3. Making Materials Flow 4. Seeing the Whole These books are excellent in providing the knowledge you require to understand the lean philosophy, identifying wastes, creating the flow and implementing various tools of lean manufacturing. Have you read these books? What books did I miss? Please share in the comments. Follow me for interesting updates on #leanmanufacturing #training #kaizen #operationsmanagement

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Great article by Andrew McCart Quality Management, The Toyota Way, and Respect for People The Toyota Production System (TPS) is renowned for its effectiveness in lean manufacturing. This leadership methodology is deeply rooted in principles emphasizing efficiency, quality, and continuous improvement. Interestingly, at the core of this system lies a fundamental value known as “Respect for People.” Toyota’s journey of establishing a culture of Respect for People prioritizes human dignity and empowerment as essential elements of organizational success. In my experiences as an operations manager and an industrial engineer, improvement efforts were always more successful when leadership conducted improvements with employees (rather than to employees). Respect for People empowers employees at all levels to contribute their skills, knowledge, and insights to the organization. Toyota encourages autonomy and decision-making authority among frontline workers, enabling them to identify and solve problems proactively. A scarcity mindset may feel that giving power to workers is a sign of weakness or that it might backfire. Of course, the opposite is true, as empowerment leads to trust, loyalty, and getting the best out of people. The belief in lifelong learning and personal growth is central to Respect for People. Short-term thinking views employee development as an expense. However, a longer-term approach knows it is an investment in human capital. By prioritizing education and skill enhancement, Toyota ensures that employees remain adaptable and capable of driving innovation. Respect for People fosters a culture of teamwork and mutual support, where individuals collaborate to achieve common goals. Cross-functional teams are encouraged to share perspectives, challenge assumptions, and seek consensus in addressing challenges. This collaborative approach enhances productivity and strengthens interpersonal relationships and trust within the organization. While Respect for People originated within lean manufacturing, its principles apply across diverse industries and organizational settings. Whether in healthcare, education, or technology, empowerment, collaboration, and empathy remain relevant in fostering organizational excellence and societal impact. By embracing Respect for People, organizations can unleash the full potential of their workforce, drive innovation, and create sustainable value for all stakeholders. References Liker, J. K. (2004). The Toyota Way: 14 Management Principles from the World’s Greatest Manufacturer. McGraw-Hill Education. Shook, J., & Rother, M. (2009). Toyota Kata: Managing People for Improvement, Adaptiveness and Superior Results. McGraw-Hill Education.

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