efficomm

Twitter,SMS cap at 140, 160 chars respec.How might it change comm. overall if we limit talk to 160char?Let’s bring back”cablese.” Post length 152 char.

Johnson Controls fills hybrid-drive industry void

Nersac, France (it’s located here in relation to Paris) soon becomes a major hybrid car testing ground. Johnson Controls opened a production facility hybrid engine lithiom-ion batteries. It’s annual capacity for these high-output batteries is not clear, but the plant is designed for scalability. So if this whole eco-conscious fuss blows over, the plant can quickly shut down.

The European plant is a curious place to start manufacturing hybrid-drive batteries since the majority of hybrid cars are sold to the US market. Hybrid cars require a continuously variable transmission to maximize efficiency, so for hybrid cars to sweep through Europe, people will have to let go of the shifter.

For all “wants” replace with “need”

Transform your life and your business by adhereing to this basic pricinciple:  Turn “nice to do” into “need to do.” I cannot take credit for this phrase, I first heard about it in this month’s Industry Week manufacturing podcast, an interview with Jeff Frank. Jeff Frank is Lawson Software VP devoted to the issues of corporate social responsibility, CSR. You can find Jeff Frank’s personal blog here.

The paradigm shift in mindset from nice-to-do things to need-to-do things is the realization that your intuition and your desires ought to shape your life. “It would be nice to be able to travel more” turns into “I need to travel more.” Your shift in mindset changes from a glinting hope to a focused desire that will impact your decisions at work, hopefully to motivate you to work more efficiently and free up vacation time.

How can this paradigm shift impact your business? Ask yourself what it is that you have wanted to accomplish, replace “want” with “need.” This effort can broaden your mindset and set you on a refocused path to achieve your personal and business goals. And, by eliminating “want” from your vocabulary and focusing only on “need,” since to need is a stronger feeling than to want, your goals and desires will be simplified to exactly what is imperitive to move forward. Everything will fall into place.

I need you to try this.

I see a problem here, and here, and here, and here…

Problem consciousness, crafting an environment where everyone seeks out problems, it makes sense. The challenge is to define the difference between uncovering opportunities for improvement and straight-up nagging.

Front line value-add, management overhead

Chris Harris of Harris Lean Systems was interviewed on leanblog.org January 23, discussing the challenged of implementing the lean mindset. You can hear the entire podcast here.

The production supervisor, in charge of managing the production associates (the machinists or those working the assembly line), is also responsible for implementing the elemental changes required to improve the system. The people most knowledgeable about the opportunities for process improvement are the people at the front line of the production.

The people that are working on the process, they add the most value to the end product, and they probably get paid the least. Respect the production associates, and cultivate a relationship with these vital coworkers to ensure the lines of communication between the skilled workers and management stay fluid. This is step 1 in establishing the lean mindset.