Companies pursue lots of ideas; some turn out well and some badly. Since we can’t tell with 100% certainty if an idea will work, bad ones are a cost of doing business. And it makes sense to tolerate them. The cost of a few bad ones is well worth the......
What if it was cool to make stuff? What if we advertised manufacturing’s coolness like we advertise beer and cigarettes? Who would be the celebrity spokesman? What if we took as much pride in university manufacturing programs as with their football programs? What if great manufacturing programs were as profitable......
We live in the country. Trees and wildlife all around. Can’t see our neighbors. A great place to be if you like the outdoors. We have two dogs – Abe and Lola. The dilemma: How to let the dogs run around outside but prevent them from running off into the......
Cost Out, Cost Down, Cost Reduction, Should Costing – you’ve heard about these programs. But they’re not what they seem. Under the guise of reducing product costs they steal profit margin from suppliers. The customer company increases quarterly profits while the supplier company loses profits and goes bankrupt. I don’t......
What happened to Vacation? It used to be a time to let go, to separate from work, to engage with family and friends, to work hard on something else. A time to refresh, to recharge, to renew. Not anymore – a shadow of its former self – paler, thinner, hunched......
“Constraint” is most often an excuse rather than a constraint. In fact, there are very few true constraints, with most of them living in the domain of physics. A constraint is when something cannot be done. It’s not when something is difficult, complex, or unknown. And, it’s not when the......
It’s the chicken-and-egg syndrome of the business world. Does procedure drive behavior or does behavior drive procedure? Procedures are good for documenting a repetitive activity: Pick up that part. Grab that wrench. Tighten that nut. Repeat, as required. This type of procedure has value – do the activity in the......
An amazing article by Andy Grove, co-founder of Intel, that puts things in perspective. A country’s economy must be based on manufacturing and the jobs it creates. It’s not about the designing and developing. It’s about the manufacturing (and the jobs). End of story. This one’s worth the read. Link......
That behavior was not appropriate; you did not finish that project on time; you made a mistake; you did not do it right; you did not build consensus; you did not do enough. Create an improvement plan, eliminate the shortfall, make up lost ground, re-attain the schedule. All negative, all......
Shipulski On Design
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The Shipulski On Design
