Lean Thinking

An expanded version of a well-known guide that apparently has a cult following, this audio provides a road map on how to squeeze the most value from a product idea, from concept and manufacturing to product launch and distribution. The writing and reading are conversational and include excellent examples from a variety of business realms. Womack and Jones offer a sweeping view of value from the customer's perspective. However, the focus is on efficiency, so creative or marketing types may drift off. But it all makes great sense and ought to be required listening for the new entrepreneur, especially if disciplined and conservative thinking is not a personal strength. T.W. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

July 29, 1996
There's a missionary zeal to this book for corporate managers: it wants to convert companies the world over to the streamlined production process pioneered by Toyota after WWII. Womack and Jones chronicled Toyota's concept of lean production in The Machine That Changed the World, and embarked in 1990 on a tour of North America, Europe and Japan to persuade organizations, managers, employers and investors that mass production was out of date and should be chucked for something better. They formed a network of companies and individuals dedicated to lean production. Network members, whose stories form the basis of the book, gather annually to update procedures and refine theory. Showa Manufacturing, a Japanese maker of radiators and boilers, for instance, pulled itself out of an earnings slump by changing from mass-producing batches of standardized equipment to producing customized small lots. Heavily laden with details, this is for specialists who want to streamline. It makes few references to the larger, global economy. Author tour.