American manufacturing continues to experience turbulent times in maintaining and growing manufacturing jobs. The only business approach that has demonstrated superior achievement is Lean Enterprise Management (the Toyota Production System), the foundation of the Shingo Prize. All 14 companies to be recognized in 2006 have clearly achieved exemplary lean manufacturing excellence.
I am sure the Delphi winning plants are going to feed the complaints raised earlier: Don't Let Delphi Drag Down the Shingo Prize - Delphi's Sobering Message To Us All.
Maybe this is another victory for Alfie Kohn and Punished By Rewards. But, I think Bill Waddell said it best:
Mr. Robson would serve manufacturing and the Shingo Prize much better if he would focus his energy on what lessons can be learned. Clearly the bankruptcy of Delphi is evidence of a gaping hole in the Shingo Prize criteria, as well as in the lean body of knowledge. That is no big deal - just learn from it, improve the Prize criteria, and move on.
My guess is the lean community is going to be more upset with these awards given after Delphi announced bankruptcy.
1 comment:
Yes, as I wrote about on my blog, the Shingo criteria must be improved.... ah, PDCA, kaizen, whatnot. It discredits lean to see bankrupt companies getting prizes. Toyota doesn't "do lean" to get prizes... they are running their business and making tons of money. That is the goal. The Shingo Prize criteria have to start looking at COMPANY performance, not just individual plants and they must start looking at financials. The Shingo Prize people would give a "lean" award to a factory that makes the leanest rotary dial phones. That would miss the point too, right?
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