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Can Lean Manufacturing Put an End to Sweatshops?

Harvard Business Review

It involves replacing traditional mass manufacturing with “lean manufacturing” principles. Over the last thirty years, the lean approach — developed by Japanese automakers — has permeated the manufacturing sector in developed countries, but is much less commonly used in the developing world.

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We Need a Better Language for Organizational Relationships

Harvard Business Review

But just as we need to know whether the evening we are about to spend is with our mother-in-law or a university buddy, managers inside organizations need to know whether the meeting they are about to have with a manufacturing expert is with an internal supplier, a team member, or a lobbyist for lean manufacturing.

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Diet and Exercise Tips from Process Fitness Fanatics

Harvard Business Review

Danaher, the $10 billion conglomerate of 600 manufacturing companies, got serious about process improvement after the surprising turnaround of a subsidiary in the mid-1990s. Its Jacobs Vehicle Systems unit used lean manufacturing techniques to eliminate waste, reduce floor space, and improve product flow.