Bruce Spector

Stay up to date on all the latest conversations, interviews, and episodes we released this week here at Supply Chain Now. On Monday we released a Supply Chain Now episode with special guest, VP of UPS Ocean Freight, Steve McMichael. During this episode, Steve gives some insightful information on how companies can manage more effectively so that their operations can run in a more timely manner. On This Week in Business History, Kelly Barner talks about the difficulties that came along with Laying the First Transatlantic Telegraph Cable across the Atlantic Ocean. On Monday we also re-released a classic Supply Chain Now en Español episode with Erique Alverez and special guest, Josue Vasquez. In this episode of Logistics With Purpose hosts Enriquez Alvarez and Kristi Porter have a conversation with MAP International Vice President of Global Giving, Jodi Allison. She talks about the global impact that the company has had when it comes to the necessary efforts needed for a crisis such as COVID-19. On Wednesday’s episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott Luton and Greg White welcome Walmart truck driver, April Coolidge, to the show. During this episode, she gives insight into her being a woman in a male-dominated field…

Lean manufacturing is all about reducing waste and increasing efficiency. Manufacturers have been implementing lean practices for decades and have stood the test of time. Now, with technological advancements, lean methodologies can be more transformative than ever before. “Integrating automation into lean manufacturing is a powerful strategy. Unlike traditional automation, which often aims to increase production capacity without considering real needs, lean automation focuses on the smart and selective application of technologies to meet specific continuous improvement goals and eliminate inefficiencies,” the Kaizen Institute said. “Digital transformation provides an unprecedented opportunity for implementing lean,” it continued. “When applied within lean, tools like the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and data analytics can revolutionize how organizations detect and eliminate waste.” What is Lean Manufacturing? In “The Machine That Changed The World,” published in 1990, lean production is hailed as “Toyota’s secret weapon in the global car wars.” The Toyota Production System was developed following World War II from “a series of simple innovations … to provide both continuity in process flow and a wide variety in product offerings,” according to the Lean Enterprise Institute. In “Lean Thinking,” a 1996 follow-up to “The Machine That Changed The World,” authors James…