Industry excerpts on The Goal by Eli Goldratt (introduced in the July issue)."I'm on my second reading of The Goal. For the casting industry to survive, we have to throw away all the old ways of doing and measuring things. It seems to me, today, foundry management is waiting for the good old days to come back." Brian Bachman, Metal Tek International "Goldratt's book allowed anyone in manufacturing to understand the complexities of profitable production... When you work for large companies, it's easy to lose sight of bottom lines and our influence on them. Like Jonah said, the math is nearly always correct, but the assumptions were almost always wrong. More than anything, the book encouraged us to challenge assumptions." Tim Scoville, Boeing Commercial Aircraft Group "I am new to this industry and the impression I have is of an industry that once led the industrial revolution. But guess what? We got caught in our own game. For any industry to succeed, it must be looking forward. Throughput maximizes cash flow. The one with the best cash flow wins the game." Bill Grau, Waukesha Foundry "Efficiency improvements gained by high-tech automation, in isolated segments of manufacturing, are only truly valuable if smoothly meshed with the rest of the system. The Goal makes the case well for lean manufacturing Lean manufacturing is the production of goods using less of everything compared to mass production: less human effort, less manufacturing space, less investment in tools, and less engineering time to develop a new product. , bottleneck A lessening of throughput. It often refers to networks that are overloaded, which is caused by the inability of the hardware and transmission lines to support the traffic. It can also refer to a mismatch inside the computer where slower-speed peripheral buses and devices prevent the CPU identification and resolution, as well as simplified measurements to determine progress. The point that resounds above the others is that finished product shipped on-time (throughput) is the true mark of a successful manufacturing system." Jerry Call, Stahl Specialty Co. "When the book first came out, people in Goldratt's company said Alex Rogo was modeled after the G.M. of an investment casting investment casting Precision casting for forming metal shapes with minutely precise details. Casting bronze or precious metals typically involves several steps, including forming a mold around the sculptured form; detaching the mold (in two or more sections); coating its foundry. Recently, someone described a certain casting operation in which 'the castings are still warm from shakeout Shakeout A situation in which many investors exit their positions, often at a loss, because of uncertainty or recent bad news circulating around a particular security or industry. Notes: During the dotcom boom and bust, numerous shakeouts occurred. when placed in the shipping container.' Maximize throughput, minimize inventory. Alex Rogo would surely approve." Michael J. Gallagher Michael James Gallagher (born November 16, 1866 in Auburn, Michigan; died January 20, 1937) was the Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Detroit from 1918 to 1937. He was ordained a priest for the diocese of Grand Rapids, Michigan on March 19, 1893. , Equal Parts Ventures "Unfortunately, Goldratt's examples with respect to accounting and manufacturing efficiency are not fiction. Accounting and efficiency metrics often are institutionalized in·sti·tu·tion·al·ize tr.v. in·sti·tu·tion·al·ized, in·sti·tu·tion·al·iz·ing, in·sti·tu·tion·al·iz·es 1. a. To make into, treat as, or give the character of an institution to. b. and turned into bureaucratic bu·reau·crat n. 1. An official of a bureaucracy. 2. An official who is rigidly devoted to the details of administrative procedure. bu policies...Accounting is a burden producing no profit; it should serve manufacturing." Edward Vinarcik, P.E. |
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