{"id":93860,"date":"2025-12-15T10:50:05","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T10:50:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apma-association.org\/staging\/?p=93860"},"modified":"2025-12-15T13:56:50","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T13:56:50","slug":"lean-thinking-banish-waste-and-create-wealth-in-your-corporation-revised-and-updated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apma-association.org\/staging\/lean-thinking-banish-waste-and-create-wealth-in-your-corporation-revised-and-updated\/","title":{"rendered":"Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation, Revised and Updated"},"content":{"rendered":"

by James P. Womack<\/a> (Author), Daniel T. Jones<\/a> (Author)<\/p>\n

\n

Lean Thinking: Transforming Business for the Twenty-First Century<\/h1>\n

Expanded, updated, and more relevant than ever, Lean Thinking<\/em> is a
\nbestselling business classic by two internationally renowned management analysts.
\nThe book describes a modern business system that surpasses the mass production
\nmodel of Ford, the financial control system of Sloan, and the strategic system
\nof Welch and GE. It is based on the Toyota lean model, combining operational
\nexcellence with value-based strategies to achieve steady growth under diverse
\neconomic conditions.<\/p>\n

Steady Growth Through Lean Principles<\/h2>\n

Unlike companies celebrated by 1990s business gurus that often suffered
\ncrash-and-burn failures, the firms profiled in Lean Thinking<\/em>\u2014from
\nsmall Lantech to midsized Wiremold, niche Porsche, and giant Pratt & Whitney\u2014
\nhave steadily grown, largely unnoticed, even amid market turbulence. Toyota,
\nthe leader in lean thinking, continues to pursue global leadership in the
\nautomotive industry.<\/p>\n

Going Back to Basics<\/h2>\n

Lean thinkers focus on what customers truly perceive as value, which often
\ndiffers from existing organizational assumptions. They then align value-creating
\nactivities along a value stream while eliminating non-value-adding activities,
\nwhich usually make up the majority.<\/p>\n

By creating flow, products and designs advance smoothly and rapidly at the
\npull of the customer rather than the push of the producer. As flow and pull
\nare implemented, lean thinkers accelerate the cycle of continuous improvement
\nin pursuit of perfection. The book brings these concepts to life with striking
\nreal-world examples.<\/p>\n

A Step-by-Step Action Plan<\/h2>\n

Lean Thinking<\/em> offers guidance for managers seeking to implement lean
\nprinciples in their organizations. Part II provides a detailed action plan
\nbased on studies of more than fifty lean companies across various industries
\nworldwide.<\/p>\n

Even experienced lean practitioners will find Part III compelling. It introduces
\nthe concept of the extended lean enterprise, linking value-creating activities
\nfrom raw materials to the customer for each product family. This allows firms
\nto take a dramatic leap forward in efficiency and effectiveness.<\/p>\n

Keeping Lean Relevant<\/h2>\n

Part IV, an epilogue to the original edition, updates the story of lean thinking
\nwith an enhanced action plan informed by the experiences of lean firms since
\nthe book\u2019s original publication.<\/p>\n

Lean Thinking<\/em> is not a quick-fix management program. It is a philosophy
\nof thinking, being, and doing for serious long-term managers. By applying these
\nprinciples, organizations can achieve sustainable improvement and global impact.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n