The Perfect Engine: Driving Manufacturing Breakthroughs with the Global Production System

by Patricia E. Moody and Anand Sharma

Since 1991, Anand Sharma and his TBM Consulting Group have helped dozens of companies become manufacturing successes using the revolutionary 3P Kaizen Breakthrough. Now Sharma and Patricia Moody,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 074320381X
• ISBN13: 9780743203814
• Release Date: October 2001
• Publisher: Free Press
• Length: 282 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.2" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

This book is good to a Introductary level of Lean manufacturing

I would like to recommend that people who read this book try to get "Running Today's Facotry - Charles Standard & Dale Davis" in depth.

Language Spanish

My company where i am working wants to buy this book for all the managers, but i would like to know if you have available this book in spanish? I hope you can give me an answer asap... Many thanks!

"Perfection" Is a Journey....

Don't be deterred by the title. (Initially, I was.) It was probably selected for marketing purposes. Sharma and Moody know better than to claim that the system they propose (what they call "LeanSigma Transformation Process") is in all ways -- and will remain forever -- a "perfect engine" by which to achieve "profitable growth that serves all the constituents of an enterprise." Any system is only as effective as those involved within it. We all know how many perfect workers there are. What Sharma and Moody present in this volume is a cohesive, comprehensive, and cost-effective system by which to meet all manner of challenges by "building to order with fewer resources." Presumably they would be the first to point out that any such system, presented in a book, must be modified to accommodate the specific needs, interest, objectives, and resources of a given organization. Moreover, although the primary focus is on manufacturing, the principles are so sound that they can also be of substantial value to non-manufacturing enterprises such as those in retail merchandising, management consulting, banking, accounting, legal, insurance, and even advertising. All organizations need to improve cycle time and first-pass yield. Also, all organizations must do that with finite (sometimes severely limited) resources. Finally, all organizations most become (literally) obsessed with kaizen: constant improvement. Therefore, I highly recommend this book to decision-makers in all organizations (regardless of size or nature) but with the single caveat that appropriate modifications of the LeanSigma Transformation Process first be made. Sharma and Moody carefully organize their excellent material within ten chapters. In the first, they suggest and then explain "A Better Way"; in the last, they shift their attention to "The Future." Throughout their book, they make effective use of the "journey" metaphor, correctly asserting that, once begun, the LeanSigma Transformation Process never ends. "This is a journey that concentrates the energy of an entire enterprise and focuses efforts to serve customers better, faster, with better quality products and responsiveness, ultimately leading to gains in market share." Several dozen mini-case studies (e.g. Maytag) demonstrate precisely HOW such objectives can be achieved. In the final chapter, Sharma and Moody offer these thoughts: "Keep the long-term perspective. This journey is part of a larger movement, just as kaizen breakthrough is the the enabler of LeanSigma Transformation, and Design for LeanSigma revolutionized process and product design for increased responsiveness and mass customization. [The current business circumstances worldwide] create a long-awaited window of opportunity, and it is our responsibility to be prepared, to have the best workers, the best tools, and the energetic leadership required because an opportunity like this comes only once in every hundred and fifty years."Those who share my high regard for this

The Perfect Engine is the perfect solution!

This book contains clear and practical guidance that anyone can use to turn a company around. After applying examples from the book to our factory we increased productivity and lowered inventory within weeks! LeanSigma is the new road to manufacturing success. Taking the best from lean and Six Sigma methodologies to create LeanSigma is a brilliant idea. The Perfect Engine gives innovative examples that are easy to apply to any environment and quickly transform an organization into a more responsive and agile enterprise. This book is a must read for line managers and other supply chain managers who want to stay competitive in today's market.

Strong Case for Lean

This is a very strong case for lean. There are plenty of old economy examples to provide real world validation, as opposed to all of the high tech fluff books that are out there. I recommend this to anyone in manufacturing or services as a bible to reinvent your company's operating strategy.