Book Review: Quick Response Manufacturing
I started doing the book reviews because I figured I'd be able to post more often to the blog. Then I go and have..what?...a month between posts?
Believe it or not, most of that time, I've been reading (or reading at) another book, Quick Response Manufacturing: A Companywide Approach to Reducing Lead Times by Rajan Suri. This isn't a new book; I'm still reading the books I've had sitting on my shelf. It's long book. A very long book. (Ergo the length of time between reviews.) At times, it's a bit of a slog. The author goes into great detail on everything he covers...and he covers quite a bit.
The book focuses strongly on the advantages of lead time reduction. This is a position near and dear to my own heart. In my own work, I emphasize focusing on variation and cycle time reductions rather than cost reductions. He describes the Response Time Spiral wherein efforts to improve customer service that don't focus on cycle time reductions actually make it worse. (As an example of the level of detail in the book, the author gives examples of how the Response Time Spiral works...in three different manufacturing environments.)
The author's coverage of the methods and tools he suggests to reduce cycle times is just as comprehensive and detailed. Some of his recommendations are counter-intuitive, some will be difficult for managers to buy into (Suri has no problem recommending the purchase of resources that won't be heavily utilized so long as they will help reduce manufacturing cycle times.) He's strongly committed to creation of cells, a position with which I concur, even though it's not always possible to create cells.
The book has loads of cases, illustrations, and examples. It also has a lot of what I call "about" material; material that talks 'about' a concept or method without really nailing down what it is and how to use it.
This is something of an advanced book. I think readers seeking an introduction to lean concepts and methods will be a bit confused and won't stick with the book. That said, I recommend it to managers and consultants with a background in lean and continual improvement. It's not a quick read by any means but it will broaden your "lean" horizons substantially.
Believe it or not, most of that time, I've been reading (or reading at) another book, Quick Response Manufacturing: A Companywide Approach to Reducing Lead Times by Rajan Suri. This isn't a new book; I'm still reading the books I've had sitting on my shelf. It's long book. A very long book. (Ergo the length of time between reviews.) At times, it's a bit of a slog. The author goes into great detail on everything he covers...and he covers quite a bit.
The book focuses strongly on the advantages of lead time reduction. This is a position near and dear to my own heart. In my own work, I emphasize focusing on variation and cycle time reductions rather than cost reductions. He describes the Response Time Spiral wherein efforts to improve customer service that don't focus on cycle time reductions actually make it worse. (As an example of the level of detail in the book, the author gives examples of how the Response Time Spiral works...in three different manufacturing environments.)
The author's coverage of the methods and tools he suggests to reduce cycle times is just as comprehensive and detailed. Some of his recommendations are counter-intuitive, some will be difficult for managers to buy into (Suri has no problem recommending the purchase of resources that won't be heavily utilized so long as they will help reduce manufacturing cycle times.) He's strongly committed to creation of cells, a position with which I concur, even though it's not always possible to create cells.
The book has loads of cases, illustrations, and examples. It also has a lot of what I call "about" material; material that talks 'about' a concept or method without really nailing down what it is and how to use it.
This is something of an advanced book. I think readers seeking an introduction to lean concepts and methods will be a bit confused and won't stick with the book. That said, I recommend it to managers and consultants with a background in lean and continual improvement. It's not a quick read by any means but it will broaden your "lean" horizons substantially.
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