The Gold Mine: A Novel of Lean Turnaround by Freddy Balle,Michael Balle

The Gold Mine: a Novel of Lean Turnaround deftly weaves together the technical and human pieces of implementing lean manufacturing in an engaging story that readers will find both compelling and instructive. Authors Freddy and Michael Ballé have produced the first integrated and systematic approach to a set of ideas that have maximized value and minimized waste throughout the world. At the heart of the Gold Mine is Bob Woods, a curmudgeonly sensei coaxed out of retirement by his son Mike to help boyhood friend Phil Jenkinson save his struggling company. Despite terrific products and a backlog of orders, PhilÂ's company cannot generate enough cash from its operations to pay its bills. And so Mike enlists Bob to help his pal fix this crisis. YouÂ're trying to deal with your mess as if it was a technical problem, Bob tells Phil. Move this machine here, change this design there, which it is to some extent, but ? itÂ's all about people. You have a leadership problem not just a production or business problem. As Phil begins to tackle the key challenges necessary to improve his companyÂ's operations, he comes to understand the deeper points of lean. Readers will also draw powerful insights from his journey. The Gold Mine presents all the key lean principles, ranging from well-known ideas such as pull and flow, to lesser-known yet equally important principles such as jidoka and heijunka. The book also reveals lean as a system?using a realistic story to show how the principles are interrelated and how they lead to useful tools such as kanban or 5S. Editorial Reviews From the Publisher The Gold Mine is the first book to comprehensively introduce all the lean tools by means of a vivid personal story showing how hearts and minds are won over, said publisher James Womack, LEI president and founder. It will spark ah-haÂ's from everyone who has been there and provide profound insight for those who are just getting started. Reading The Gold Mine is like eavesdropping on a sensei dispensing gems to a client, says co-publisher Daniel Jones, founder of the Lean Academy in the UK. Readers, especially those individuals working on the shop floor, will gain revelation and inspiration by living through the experiences of the hero. Managers and executives just beginning a lean transformation will learn valuable insights about how to sidestep the technical and people problems that lay ahead. And experienced lean thinkers will discover fresh insights about overcoming resistance to change. From the Author Our novelistic approach addresses one of the reasons that it's so hard to find any workable lean recipe, which is that the tools, or at least their level of implementation, must be linked to the management's lean maturity. For instance, we would argue that lean is fundamentally about rigorous problem solving and involving operators in kaizen. Fine. But in most working environments, if you start there, as most TQM or six sigma programs do, you will end up with disappointing results. People will get confused about which problems to solve, how to go about change, and what kind of attitude to adopt when dealing with resistance or recurring problems. In a factory it's usually easier to start a lean program with the basics, such as seven wastes, 5S, red bins for quality, reducing batch sizes by increasing tool changeover, and moving progressively to eliminating variation in the operators' work cycle. From the Author Our novelistic approach addresses one of the reasons that it's so hard to find any workable lean recipe, which is that the tools, or at least their level of implementation, must be linked to the management's lean maturity. For instance, we would argue that lean is fundamentally about rigorous problem solving and involving operators in kaizen. Fine. But in most working environments, if you start there, as most TQM or six sigma programs do, you will end up with disappointing results. People will get confused about which problems to solve, how to go about change, and what kind of attitude to adopt when dealing with resistance or recurring problems. In a factory it's usually easier to start a lean program with the basics, such as seven wastes, 5S, red bins for quality, reducing batch sizes by increasing tool changeover, and moving progressively to eliminating variation in the operators' work cycle. From the Back Cover Tools are not enough. This engaging novel - The Gold Mine - shares the human side of implementing lean principles. While offering the technical knowhow to get lean done, it also shows the messy human dynamics that occur when the workplace, people, and practices clash. The Gold Mine is a gold mine for those who really want to create lean enterprise. It does what no other book - fiction or nonfiction - has done, by comprehensively tackling both the human and the technical dimension of a lean transformation progresses. James P. Womack President and Founder Lean Enterprise Institute This gripping companion to your lean journey comes from a unique team. Freddy Balle is one of the very first gaijen to figure out the Toyota system. He was taught by Toyota, built the Valeo Production System, and has personally led dozens of lean turnarounds. Michael Balle, his son, is a cognitive sociologist who has taught more than anyone about how we learn to think lean, both cognitively and emotionally. This is the organizational prescription you will turn to again and again on your way to lean. Daniel T. Jones Chairman and Founder Lean Enterprise Academy About the Author About the Authors Freddy Ballé worked as a manufacturing and engineering manager at Renault for 30 years where he was manufacturing engineering director and then Industrial Vice President for the Renault truck business, Renault Industrial Vehicles (RVI). He started visiting Toyota plants in Japan in the mid-1970s, where he discovered the power of the Toyota Production System.On leaving Renault, Freddy became technical vice president of Valeo, where he created the Valeo Production System, based on Toyota practice, which pioneered lean implementation in continental Europe. He was then CEO of the French automotive supplier Sommer-Allibert, where he introduced the Sommer-Allibert Excellence System. He wound up his corporate career as technical vice president of the French automotive supplier Faurecia as it implemented the Faurecia Excellence System.In recent years Freddy has founded ESG Consultants to advise industrial clients on making the lean transformation described in The Gold Mine.Michael Ballé, business consultant and author, is associate professor (adjunct) at the American University of Paris and the co-founder of the Project Lean Entreprise (www.lean.enst.fr). This is France's leading lean initiative, conducted in collaboration with Telecom Paris, where Michael is associate researcher. For over a decade, he has focused on the human implications of lean implementation in fields as diverse as healthcare and administrative processes. He has published several books on these topics. He is Freddy's son. About the Author About the Authors Freddy Ballé worked as a manufacturing and engineering manager at Renault for 30 years where he was manufacturing engineering director and then Industrial Vice President for the Renault truck business, Renault Industrial Vehicles (RVI). He started visiting Toyota plants in Japan in the mid-1970s, where he discovered the power of the Toyota Production System.On leaving Renault, Freddy became technical vice president of Valeo, where he created the Valeo Production System, based on Toyota practice, which pioneered lean implementation in continental Europe. He was then CEO of the French automotive supplier Sommer-Allibert, where he introduced the Sommer-Allibert Excellence System. He wound up his corporate career as technical vice president of the French automotive supplier Faurecia as it implemented the Faurecia Excellence System.In recent years Freddy has founded ESG Consultants to advise industrial clients on making the lean transformation described in The Gold Mine.Michael Ballé, business consultant and author, is associate professor (adjunct) at the American University of Paris and the co-founder of the Project Lean Entreprise (www.lean.enst.fr). This is France's leading lean initiative, conducted in collaboration with Telecom Paris, where Michael is associate researcher. For over a decade, he has focused on the human implications of lean implementation in fields as diverse as healthcare and administrative processes. He has published several books on these topics. He is Freddy's son.