Gemba a weblog about better ways to makes things better

About this Blog

Introduction to Gemba Panta Rei
Gemba Panta Rei is the corporate blog of Gemba Research, a kaizen consulting firm. In this blog we will share our thoughts on Lean manufacturing, kaizen, Lean healthcare, Lean governemnt, Lean transaction and better ways to make things better. The views and opinions on this blog are mostly reflect those of the writer of the blog, but are a fair reflection of the values of our company as a whole.

Goal and Purpose
The goal and purpose of this blog is to accelerate the reduction of waste of all types everywhere by offering perspectives, insights and practical advice on kaizen and Lean manufacturing. We aim to share our lessons learned, wins and losses as we work to spread the knowledge of how to do kaizen as widely as we can through this blog.

What is Gemba?
Gemba is a Japanese word that means "actual place" and is used to mean workplace where value is added. In manufacturing Gemba is the shop floor but it can by anywhere that you add value. Gemba Kaizen is a philosophy that improvement should be on-site, roll-up-your-sleeves, and quick. It is a key enabler for Lean manufacturing, Lean healthcare, Lean transaction and general bottom-line improvement activities.

Who Writes for this Blog?
Jon Miller is the CEO and co-founder of Gemba Research.

What is Panta Rei?
A Greek philosopher named Heraclites left a fragmented but important body of work. Many of his sayings relate to change and the changing nature of existence. The expression "panta rei" is ancient Greek for "everything changes" or "everything flows". It is part of our philosophy of that change is always happening around us and that kaizen is a way we can add human creativity to make positive change to our lives.

Join the Conversation
We invite you to join in with your comments or experiences. At the end of each blog entry there is a space for you to enter your comments. You can comment on the articles, comment on other people's comments, or simply share ideas and experiences you have about kaizen.

Copyright Notice
We are glad to share our knowledge, experience, and insights with you. However the material on this blog is copyrighted and is the property of Gemba Research LLC. Please note that no reproduction is permitted without prior written permission.

By Jon Miller - May 16, 2007 2:33 PM

Comments

Post a Comment

Comments are moderated to filter spam and inappropriate content. There may be a delay before your comment is published.




Recent Artices
Hospital Improves Patient Flow: 90% Seen in Under 60 Minutes

There is a small hospital in Hiroshima, Japan which has been practicing the Toyota more>>

By Jon Miller - January 6, 2009 9:52 AM0 comments>>
Planning for One Piece Flow Cells

Bas Timmermans from the Netherlands asked a question about OEE and one piece flow cells: more>>

By Jon Miller - January 5, 2009 12:29 PM0 comments>>
Virtual Factory Tours on YouTube

Keep your chin up, global manufacturing! Even though new factory orders dipped recently to record more>>

By Jon Miller - January 4, 2009 4:53 PM5 comments>>
Ask Gemba

We want to make it easier to start conversations and find answers here at more>>

By Jon Miller - January 3, 2009 1:57 PM2 comments>>
5 Ways to Boost Kaizen Consciousness in 2009

Improved quality, reduced cost, better teamwork, faster response to customer needs - there are as more>>

By Jon Miller - January 1, 2009 11:19 PM1 comments>>
HP Printer Pokayoke Example

This is a new HP C7250 printer we purchased a few weeks ago. It's quite more>>

By Jon Miller - December 30, 2008 12:53 AM0 comments>>
Yaruki: The Will to Win Even in Tough Times

RC Bhargava, the Chairman, Maruti Suzuki India recounts the story of Maruti Suzuki and how more>>

By Jon Miller - December 28, 2008 7:53 PM3 comments>>
9 Surprises for U.S. Manufacturing in 2009

1. Will you shut up about kaizen, Tom? Newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture more>>

By Jon Miller - December 24, 2008 4:05 PM4 comments>>
Let's Do Kaizen, Not Kaizan

It doesn't really matter how you pronounce the Japanese word for continuous improvement through more>>

By Jon Miller - December 23, 2008 12:20 PM0 comments>>
Answers to Lean Thinking Crossword Puzzle #1

Spoiler alert! The answers to Lean Thinking Crossword Puzzle #1 are below. Here are the more>>

By Jon Miller - December 20, 2008 2:20 AM0 comments>>
Lean Thinking Crossword Puzzle #1

Here is a quiz we used as a review of lean knowledge for the team more>>

By Jon Miller - December 19, 2008 3:24 AM0 comments>>
Field Report from Gemba Tour #62, Part 4

Today was day-long visit to a company who is 13 years on their lean more>>

By Jon Miller - December 18, 2008 8:16 AM1 comments>>
Field Report from Gemba Tour #62, Part 3

Today wast the Toyota plant tour day of our Japan Kaikaku Experience #62. I noticed more>>

By Jon Miller - December 17, 2008 5:21 AM0 comments>>
Field Report from Gemba Tour #62, Part 2

I have seen the future of logistics, and it is green. Today we visited more>>

By Jon Miller - December 16, 2008 7:08 AM3 comments>>
Field Report from Gemba Tour #62, Part 1

The last few weeks haven't been very productive ones for writing blog articles due more>>

By Jon Miller - December 15, 2008 5:34 AM2 comments>>
If Blame Helped Solve Problems...

...the interview with Newt Gingrich on Fox News would be a brilliant way to get more>>

By Jon Miller - December 5, 2008 11:07 PM8 comments>>
$34,000,000,000

Sigh. Chrysler wants $7 billion. They asked Congress for this taxpayer money in a 14-page more>>

By Jon Miller - December 2, 2008 8:11 PM5 comments>>
PDCA is About Not Telling Lies

This circle doesn't lie. In fact one could say that used properly, it is more>>

By Jon Miller - December 1, 2008 5:39 AM6 comments>>
With Competitors Like These, Who Needs a Winning Business Strategy?

Larry, Curly and Moe go to Washington image credit: Wall Street Journal As we more>>

By Jon Miller - November 27, 2008 10:00 PM4 comments>>
It's a Lousy Time to Implement Lean

Author, teacher and our friend Bob Emiliani from the Center for Lean Business Management pointed more>>

By Jon Miller - November 25, 2008 8:08 PM4 comments>>
Blogroll
Improve With me
Lean Companies
Agile Management Blog
Curious Cat
DailyKaizen
Evolving Excellence
Fashion-Incubator
Got Boondoggle?
Lean Blog
Lean Insider
Lean Builder
Lean Reflections
Lean Six Sigma Academy
Learn Sigma
Productivity Cafe
Reforming Project Management
Shmula
The Lean Thinker
Thinking for a Change
TPM Log