Written by Bruce Hamilton (aka The Toast Guy from the best-selling Toast Kaizen lean training DVD and President of GBMP), www.oldleandude.org  will be an on-going reflection on Lean philosophy and practices with an emphasis on keeping good jobs close to home.

The mission of GBMP, a Boston-based not-for-profit organization, is to increase the shipping of products overseas rather than jobs.   

The blog name, "Old Lean Dude", reflects Bruce Hamilton's advanced years around the Lean scene: first as a practitioner beginning in 1985 (when it was still called TPS) and later (starting in 1999) as a consultant. Bruce has been fortunate to rub elbows with some great early thinkers and innovators, including Shigeo Shingo, the Japanese industrialist for whom the Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence is named - which Business Week called "the Nobel Prize for manufacturing".   

Everyday there is something new to learn and to share about process improvement - whether in manufacturing, healthcare, government or the service sector.  What would Bruce tell you is the most importing thing he's learned about Lean in 25 years? He likes to think that GBMP's logo sums it up: "everybody, everyday".

Bruce emphasizes that we learn by doing.  Toyota calls it "tacit learning".  Sometimes the learning is directed by a more experienced person.  And sometimes it's an epiphany arising simply from personal immersion in a problem.     

And the learning is for everybody.  So, that's the target market for the new blog:  everybody.  We hope you'll subscribe and stay tuned to www.OldLeanDude.org  and join in the conversation when it suits you.