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GBMP Recommended Lean Reading List
By an Amazon.com customer
Kaizen: The Key To Japan's Competitive SuccessKaizen: The Key To Japan's Competitive Success by Masaaki Imai
Buy new: $227.00 / Used from: $1.53
The pivotal text on the true spirit of Continuous Improvement (Kaizen). A comprehensive handbook of 16 Kaizen management practices that can be put to work, using more than 100 examples in action and 15 corporate case studies.
Gemba Kaizen: A Commonsense, Low-Cost Approach to ManagementGemba Kaizen: A Commonsense, Low-Cost Approach to Management by Masaaki Imai
Buy new: $19.77 / Used from: $8.90
A follow-up text to "Kaizen", providing blueprints for creating specific types of improvement.
5 Pillars of the Visual Workplace (For Your Organization!)5 Pillars of the Visual Workplace (For Your Organization!) by Hiroyuki Hirano
Buy new: $72.00 / Used from: $59.96
The most vital information available on the visual workplace; describes how the 5S theory fosters efficiency, maintenance, and continuous improvement in all areas of the company, from the plant floor to the sales office; includes case studies, hundreds of graphic illustrations, and over forty 5S users forms and training materials.
A Revolution in Manufacturing: The SMED SystemA Revolution in Manufacturing: The SMED System by Andrew P. Dillon
Buy new: $64.00 / Used from: $19.75
Dr. Shingo, inventor of the Single-Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) system for Toyota, shows you how to reduce your changeovers by an average of 98%, reduce lead times from weeks to days, and lower inventory and warehousing costs - all leading to improved quality, productivity and profits.
Kanban Just-In-Time at Toyota: Management Begins at the WorkplaceKanban Just-In-Time at Toyota: Management Begins at the Workplace
Buy new: $41.33 / Used from: $7.26
A fundamental resource on pull systems, written by Taiichi Ohno, the creator of the methodology.
Non-stock Production: The Shingo System of Continuous ImprovementNon-stock Production: The Shingo System of Continuous Improvement by Shigeo Shingo; Norman (FWD) Bodek
Buy new: $45.00 / Used from: $47.00
Taiichi Ohno's "lieutenant" on the shop floor, Shigeo Shingo, describes the mechanics of Lean tools. Also provides excellent insight into change management.
Poka-Yoke: IMPROVING PRODUCT QUALITY BY PREVENTING DEFECTS (Improve Your Product Quality!)Poka-Yoke: IMPROVING PRODUCT QUALITY BY PREVENTING DEFECTS (Improve Your Product Quality!) by Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd.
Buy new: $60.00 / Used from: $48.00
Hundreds of examples of mistake-proof devices are catalogued in this text.
Zero Quality Control: Source Inspection and the Poka-Yoke SystemZero Quality Control: Source Inspection and the Poka-Yoke System by Shigeo Shingo
Buy new: $80.00 / Used from: $47.75
The key source for developing a poka-yoke (mistake-proofing) method which, when combined with source inspection, provides instand feedback on errors before they can become defects. The result: 100% inspection that eliminates the need for SQC and produces defect-free products without fail. Includes over 100 examples, most costing under $100!
Toyota Production System: An Integrated Approach to Just-In-TimeToyota Production System: An Integrated Approach to Just-In-Time by Yasuhiro Monden
Buy used from: $34.49
The best technical description of the Toyota Production System, for both practitioner and academic. Provides a balanced and broad approach to the system.
Toyota Production System: Beyond Large-Scale ProductionToyota Production System: Beyond Large-Scale Production by Taiichi Ohno
Buy new: $31.18 / Used from: $24.49
A primer for managers who want to understand the philosophical and management foundations of TPS (the Toyota Production System, aka Lean Manufacturing) that are critical to successful development of the system. Learn how to manage JIT and to create a winning JIT environment in your operation from the man who invented it.
Better Thinking, Better ResultsBetter Thinking, Better Results by Bob Emiliani
Buy used from: $18.45
Documents an actual company's Lean transformation over a ten-year period. Presents, in detail, what The Wiremold Company did to achieve its amazing results. "Better Thinking, Better Results" is a 2003 North American Shingo Prize recipient.
The Visual Factory: Building Participation Through Shared Information (See What's Happening in Your Key Processes--At a Glance, All)The Visual Factory: Building Participation Through Shared Information (See What's Happening in Your Key Processes--At a Glance, All) by Michel Greif
Buy new: $48.00 / Used from: $22.49
A guide to the use of visual control systems for daily management and improvement; details how to develop meeting and communication areas, communicate work standards and instructions, use visual production controls such as kanban, and make goals and progress visible. Includes more than 200 diagrams and photos.
Variety Reduction Program: A Production Strategy for Product DiversificationVariety Reduction Program: A Production Strategy for Product Diversification by Toshio Suzue
Buy used from: $77.59
An insightful book detailing engineering practices that can lead to significant reductions in pointless variety (i.e. variety not requested by the customer) in parts and processes.
The Improvement Book: Creating the Problem-Free WorkplaceThe Improvement Book: Creating the Problem-Free Workplace by Tomo Sugiyama
Buy used from: $21.92
A great how-to handbook for total employee involvement.
JIT Factory Revolution: A Pictorial Guide to Factory Design of the FutureJIT Factory Revolution: A Pictorial Guide to Factory Design of the Future by Hiroyuki Hirano
Buy used from: $6.99
A "picture book" text, this useful format contains many visual examples of specific lean methods.
Lean Thinking : Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation, Revised and UpdatedLean Thinking : Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation, Revised and Updated by James P. Womack
Buy new: $19.80 / Used from: $7.00
An inspirational and informative overview of the Toyota Production System. This is the book that coined the term "Lean".
Learning to See: Value Stream Mapping to Add Value and Eliminate MUDALearning to See: Value Stream Mapping to Add Value and Eliminate MUDA by Mike Rother
Buy used from: $60.00
The best book for learning and implementing Value Stream Mapping (aka Material and Information Flow).
Managerial Engineering: Techniques for Improving Quality and Productivity in the WorkplaceManagerial Engineering: Techniques for Improving Quality and Productivity in the Workplace by Ryuji Fukuda
Buy used from: $17.65
A guide and model for incremental implementation of best practices; a key book you'll use time and time again in your improvement and re-engineering efforts.
New Manufacturing Challenge: Techniques for Continuous ImprovementNew Manufacturing Challenge: Techniques for Continuous Improvement by Kiyoshi Suzaki
Buy new: $26.40 / Used from: $0.01
Lays out specific suggestions for improving manufacturing techniques on the shop floor. Illustrated and packed with examples addressing quick set-up, job rotation, U-shaped production lines, and preventative maintenance.
The Goal: A Process of Ongoing ImprovementThe Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu M. Goldratt
Buy new: $16.47 / Used from: $10.95
Entertaining novelette that offers a view of manufacturing as a series of constraints gated by a 'greatest constraint'. A very good book for unlocking new thinking about manufacturing.