I was the Chairman at a three-day conference on Operational Excellence and Business Transformation recently and was really impressed by the number of people in attendance and the caliber of the speakers. Some of the speakers discussed technology, and their vision of the future. But most of the speakers focused on softer skills; leadership, innovation,…
I was in Denver recently and started chatting with people at the bar (as I am apt to do, from time to time). Regardless of what it might sound like, I meet some rather interesting folks (who are fellow road-warriors like me) and I strike-up some even more interesting conversations. On this particular occasion, I…
Just-In-Time (JIT) inventory and manufacturing systems are management strategies where replenishment orders of raw materials, assemblies, and finished goods are based on production schedules; which themselves are based on real customer orders that are due at specific dates (even times). The objective is to increase efficiency and effectiveness by decreasing the waste associated with carrying…
These approaches can also be applied to Continuous Improvement, Lean, or Six Sigma Programs. I started my first business, XONITEK, in August of 1985. I still own its latest incarnation located in Jackson Wyoming. Having owned my own businesses for the last 37 years makes me uniquely unemployable. Perhaps that could change given the right…
Like many consultants, I travel quite a bit and spend a fair bit of time at airports as a result. And since I live in Germany and my clients are (mostly) in Europe and in the States, my most popular route (once a month on average) is flying United Airlines between Frankfurt (FRA) and Newark…
