February 2020 - American Lean Consulting

Neotech Saves $150,000 from First Rapid Improvement Event

One of the key elements on my American Lean Weekday podcast is the weekly interviews that I conduct with companies on their Lean Journey. These companies are from various industries and are all different sizes. I have interviewed leaders from family-owned businesses to multi-national organizations. NeoTech in Longmont, Colorado is a contract manufacturer that primarily …

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Introducing Industry 4.0

Blog, Industry 4.0 / By Tom Reed

In this blog, I want to introduce the concept of Industry 4.0 or sometimes referred to as Smart Manufacturing. It is called industry 4.0 because it is the fourth Industrial Revolution. The first Industrial Revolution which started in 1784 brought about mechanization through steam and waterpower. It is the first time that our lives took …

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Four Steps for a Successful Lean Transformation

Blog, Lean 101 / By Tom Reed

Is your organization beginning your Lean transformation, but you don’t know where to start? Have you been at it for years, but now you’re stalled? They have assigned you to be your organization’s Lean Coordinator and aren’t sure what to do? I have been honored to work with many organizations over the years. Most have …

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Five Mindsets Holding You Back from Your Lean Transformation

Culture/Intrapreneurship / By Tom Reed

Being honored to work with many companies across many industries over the years, I’ve heard every one of them say “I can’t believe we didn’t do this years ago!” after they start their Lean transformation. What keeps them from getting started sooner? Here are five mindsets that I know held them back. 1. We’re unique, …

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The Importance of a Management System to Support Servant Leaders

Blog, Leadership / By Tom Reed

Servant leadership is often associated with successful Lean innovations. While many organizations think implementing Lean is deploying a known set of tools, it is truly about changing your organization’s culture. One way to change your culture is to develop and support servant leaders. Robert Greenleaf is known as coining the phrase “servant leadership” in 1970. …

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