In this episode of the WLEI podcast, LEI speaks with Alan Goodman, professor and department chair of quality engineering at Milwaukee Area Technical College. Alan spent his career in operations at GE before becoming a professor. The podcast explores his recent work to teach young students lean skills to prepare them for careers after school. In the discussion, we explore:  Alan's background in lean and how he's transferring his skills to students through a program he's grown from a one-week online course to a year-round initiative.  Getting students interested in lean concepts ..read more

In this episode of the WLEI podcast, we speak with Ben Armstrong, Executive Director of MIT's Industrial Performance Center, and Jim Morgan, Senior Advisor at the Lean Enterprise Institute. They share perspectives from Ben's extensive research on the history and future of US manufacturing and Jim's first-hand knowledge of developing new products and production processes.    In our discussion, we explore: The rise and decline of America's manufacturing expertise and how the decoupling of design and production has impacted innovation. Challenges currently facing small and medium manuf ..read more

Electrification has given rise to new American automotive ventures such as Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid Motors. Aside from the powertrain, these companies are innovating the driving experience through breakthrough performance and by deeply integrating software into vehicle architecture.   These disruptions demonstrate exciting possibilities but raise a challenge: how can companies innovate while upholding customer expectations of quality?  In an episode of the WLEI podcast, LEI sat down with industry veteran and Lucid Motors’ Vice President of Quality Jeri Ford to explore that quest ..read more

In this episode of the WLEI podcast, LEI speaks with Emily Swaney and Alli Kulp from OhioHealth. Emily is the senior director of OhioHealth's lean promotion office, leading the organization's continuous improvement team. Alli is a senior advisor in the lean promotion office and previously worked as a registered nurse. In our discussion, we explore:  The lean journey at OhioHealth since 2006 and their goal of creating a culture of 35,000 problem solvers.  OhioHealth's strategic goal deployment process and how they cascade goals throughout such a large healthcare system.  How lea ..read more

In this episode of the WLEI podcast, we speak with Dennis Wade from Oakland University and Lisa Eshbach, PhD from Ferris State University. They share their universities' programs that provide hands-on lean learning experiences for students through collaboration with industry partners.  In our discussion, we explore:  The backgrounds and roles of Dennis Wade and Lisa Eshbach in academia and their work connecting students to real-world lean projects.  The models used at Ferris State University and Oakland University for experiential learning projects, including course-based proje ..read more

In this episode of the WLEI Podcast, our guests are Jennifer Trask and Brittney Heatherington from MillerKnoll. Trask is the Director of the MillerKnoll Performance System (HMPS) for business processes and dealer network, while Heatherington is a continuous improvement coach for the dealer network.  In our discussion, we explore:  MillerKnoll’s methodical approach to people development.  How MillerKnoll has built a culture of operational excellence throughout its value stream from its factories to its dealers.  How MillerKnoll successfully engages dealers in problem-solvin ..read more

In this episode of the WLEI podcast, LEI speaks with Billy Taylor, former operations executive at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. He is now President of LinkedXL and author of The Winning Link: a Proven Process to Define, Align, and Execute Strategy at Every Level.  In our discussion, we explore: Billy’s career journey from third shift supervisor to director of North American operations for Goodyear. How Billy led a transformation of one of Goodyear’s worst-performing plants through instituting a few core principles: deliberate clarity, defined ownership, deliberate practice, an ..read more

In this episode of the WLEI Podcast, we speak with Jill Katic and Grace Eovaldi from Barton Malow, a major construction company that has recently seen significant growth. Jill and Grace share how they've been working to foster a culture of problem solving throughout Barton Malow, principally through a program dubbed Lean University.  During the conversation we dive into the following:   Lean Principles and A3 Problem-Solving: Exploring Lean University's five-day training program, which introduces participants to lean principles and the A3 problem-solving method over a three ..read more

In this episode of the WLEI Podcast, we talk with Fabrice Bernhard and Catherine Chabiron. Fabrice is the co-founder of Theodo, a fast-growing software company, and Catherine is the author of the new book, Learning to Scale at Theodo: Growing a Fast and Resilient Company. Fabrice and Catherine share how Theodo has seamlessly integrated lean thinking into its management system enabling it to grow rapidly while maintaining a customer-first mindset and ship quality software. During the conversation, we dive into: Lean vs. Agile: How Theodo found lean thinking and how it complements agile, while ..read more

In the latest episode of the WLEI podcast, we delve into hoshin kanri (strategy deployment) with Otto Funke and Joseph Tamayo from GlobalFoundries, a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing. Otto has overseen the strategic planning process at one of GlobalFoundries' production facilities for sixteen years. He will share insights on how the site has developed a robust process that has withstood leadership changes. Alongside Joseph, they will explore how this process creates alignment around objectives, both vertically and horizontally, enabling front-line workers to link their tasks to bro ..read more