Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation

Womack, James P.; Jones, Daniel T.

ISBN 10: 0671574221 ISBN 13: 9780671574222

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 1996

Synopsis

Lean Thinking was launched in the fall of 1996, just in time for the recession of 1997. It told the story of how American, European, and Japanese firms applied a simple set of principles called 'lean thinking' to survive the recession of 1991 and grow steadily in sales and profits through 1996. Even though the recession of 1997 never happened, companies were starving for information on how to make themselves leaner and more efficient. Now we are dealing with the recession of 2001 and the financial meltdown of 2002. So what happened to the exemplar firms profiled in Lean Thinking? In the new fully revised edition of this bestselling book those pioneering lean thinkers are brought up to date. Authors James Womack and Daniel Jones offer new guidelines for lean thinking firms and bring their groundbreaking practices to a brand new generation of companies that are looking to stay one step ahead of the competition.

About this title

Review:

Following on from their book, The Machine that Changed the World, Womack and Jones have developed their ideas further with Lean Thinking. This book is aimed at any manager interested in sustaining growth within their industry. They define "lean thinking" as the elimination of unnecessary waste in business, and by outlining the principles and applications of this they link their theories to value for the customer.

Womack and Jones demonstrate the effectiveness of their approach through their research in both the U.S. and Europe. Citing examples from both simple and complex manufacturing processes, and from traditional technologies to high-tech companies, they show how their theories have been put into action.

They develop their ideas further by suggesting the application of lean thinking to the whole product cycle, from suppliers to customers. Taking the travel industry as an example, the authors show how their methods could eliminate long queues and waiting times for customers.

Based on the belief that companies should compete against perfection rather than each other, Lean Thinking provides a valuable new insight into methods of production management. And by applying the theories outlined in this book, managers across all sectors of the economy will be able to reduce waste and increase profitability.

Review:

"Fortune" A new and coherent thesis about automotive production...[the authors] back up their conclusions with unique statistical measures that are authoritative, extremely timely, and highly revealing. Think of this book as another step in the decade-long process of getting the attention of recalcitrant mass producers.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0671574221
• ISBN 13: 9780671574222
• Binding: Audio Cassette