It’s been a busy weekend with several household chores being completed, but one of them really got me thinking… As I was splitting logs ready for winter, I had to dig into the memory bank to remind myself how, each year, I make this task quicker and easier – the joys of having lean thinking … Read more
The stats are well known and well documented. It’s quoted as costing 5 times more (Forbes.com) to attract a new customer than retain a current one, and a dissatisfied customer will tell 9-15 people (LinkedIn) about their poor customer experience. So why do so many companies not take note of this and develop their MOS … Read more
… is a reasonable working theory given no other information to contradict that premise. After all, even with a scientific brain, you know that water always finds a level, and the oceans don’t run away, they are fairly static (except the tide) so therefore the world must be flat? I can’t remember who first said … Read more
My early career was one full of education. I was taught exactly what my employer wanted me to learn (sheep dip style) and then had the opportunity to test out what I had learned in the real world. Being a keen learner, and one who always challenged what he was told, many of my training sessions … Read more
Growth is often perceived to be a very positive aspect to any business in any sector. But as many who have been through it know, it’s not as straightforward as it may seem. I have heard from many business leaders of how, with hindsight, they would have done it differently. However, foresight is not so … Read more
‘Front-loading’ – back in the day this was an exciting new concept for washing machines. No longer did you have to load the washing from the top, with two separate drums, one for washing, one spin drying. Space requirements were cut in half as washing and spinning now took place in the same drum, and equally … Read more
It’s not often I feel compelled to write to the media, but on this one, I had to… This article incorrectly, in my opinion, states that the pandemic was a double whammy for low paid employees as businesses rushed to automate yet further. Whilst, obviously, machines can’t catch Covid, therefore eliminating the need for ‘machine distancing’ and … Read more
“Lean is fine in manufacturing, but doesn’t apply in my business/sector…”. I always worry when I hear that. It means that the person saying it doesn’t know enough about Lean, and has already closed the door to a vast amount of opportunity. Deming did not work with Ford until 1981, by which time the fantastic … Read more
Finally, the light has been switched on at the end of the Covid 19 tunnel. This week’s news on the success of the phase 3 trials for the Pfizer vaccine is a relief for everyone. Whilst China and Russia are already progressing vaccinations, for most of the western world, this is the first time that … Read more
…was not the headline this week, but so easily could have been. Since the start of the pandemic, the media have repeatedly reported on how it normally takes 10 years to develop a vaccine, and how, with coronavirus, experts were hoping to reduce this down to just one year. Now, as anyone who runs a … Read more