Leaning Out with Dr. Chris

I get to talk with an old friend today from the Toro Company, Matt Colby.   We have worked together a long time and he shares his insights on implementing the 12 steps, and capitalizing on new talent!

Join me for a discussion on an overall machine health plan.  We talk about proactive maintenance, preventative maintenance, reactive maintenance, SMED, and machine optimization in an era when people are scarce!

WE ARE BACK!!! Take a listen to the first episode of the third season with Chris Hacker, the COO of Alcom Trailers!  This is a good one, you can hear Chris's take on lead time compression and you may even learn a little about Bird Dogs!

Things are changing in the Harris household!  Dr. Chris Harris has accepted the position of Dean at the University of Pikeville Coleman College of Business.  In this episode, Dr. Harris talks with the President of the University Dr. Burton Webb and the Provost Dr. Lori Werth about how a College of Business can partner with organizations for win-win outcomes. 

Join us early  for the April edition of "Leaning Out With Dr. Chris"!  Heather Lindell Klish is our guest this month.  Heather discusses how the 12-step approach has assisted her in multiple successes across multiple organizations in the automotive industry.  Heather is an accomplished executive and we think you will enjoy listening to her stories!

Join us on this month's podcast as we talk to Dr. Jason Hunt, an orthopedic surgeon, to find out how he is transforming the way golfers approach wellness and how his methods can be used for overall employee health and wellness.  Also, can this approach help corporations address the labor shortage by creating employee retention?  We need to approach the labor issue differently, maybe this is an approach organizations should pursue.  I do not know the answer to the labor shortage, but I do feel we should do something different!

This is a great podcast! I talk with my brother, Andrew Harris MD, who is a surgeon and doing a lot with continuous improvement systematic thinking.  I learned a lot in this episode!  It is sometimes good to get out of your industry and listen to how someone in another industry is being successful, implementing a lean enterprise system!!

Join this episode as Shannon Karles and Kathy Miller discuss their journey to writing the book Steel Toes  and Stilettos.  Both Shannon and Kathy are long time friends of Harris Lean Systems and convey how their lean journey and experiences have led to this point.  You should listen to this one!

Chris Harris goes solo on this podcast to introduce Season 2 and discuss 3 things that companies should focus on to get better today, tomorrow, and forever.  Take a listen.

What happens when a Tornado goes through the middle of your facility?  Is there anyway it could be a positive?  Beau May discusses the journey of Dayton-Phoenix through a few significant challenges and how the team in Dayton not only survived, but thrived in a really unbelievable situation!  

On this week's episode, we dive into understanding the customer with a different take.  We talk with Cody Andreychuck, the head baseball coach and the University of Pikeville about how he designs his program around adding value to his 5 customers.  Step out of the manufacturing world for a bit and listen about  understanding customer value from a very different perspective!

Join Doug Moye and I on this episode as we discuss our journey of working together through the 12-step process.  Doug has some insights from a plant manager point-of-view concerning Making Materials Flow and safety, container size, and personally running the route!  We think you will enjoy it!

Why is the pacemaker the area where all lean implementation efforts should begin? What is a pacemaker, in a lean value stream?  Why is the pacemaker so important?  Is the pacemaker the same as a bottleneck or constraint?  These are questions that Dr. Chris (and his wife?) answer in this episode.  

In this episode, Dr. Chris has Greg Goode on to discuss the importance of the 8th step: "Run the Route".  Though a simple sentence, running a timed delivery route in a manufacturing facility to effectively and efficiently deliver material to the fingertips of the operator is no easy task.  

In this introductory episode Dr. Chris introduces the podcast.  He goes through the twelve steps to successful implementation indicating many Lean implementations are done incorrectly.   The reason being they only focus on pockets of improvement, and not true systematic change.   Dr. Chris introduces himself, the purpose of the podcast, the format moving forward, and the first guest.