Sandy Munro was in the middle of the Ford transformation of the early 80’s where he was one of the privileged to have worked directly with Dr. Deming. Inspired by this icon’s great message, Sandy Munro created Munro & Associates and the Lean Design® process with the spirit of Dr. Deming's message and philosophies in mind.

Now, in the midst of an onslaught of articles promoting the need for quality and the dire debates over jobs versus short term profits and bonuses, it’s time for us to revisit the success factors that seem to have been forgotten, or never learned, by current American management.

Below is an excerpt about Dr. Deming, and his theories on management and its modern roadblocks (Diseases) that need to be overcome.

Excerpted from Wikipedia
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwards_Deming

... Dr. Deming continued running his own consultancy business in the United States, largely unknown and unrecognized in his country of origin and work. In 1980, he was featured prominently in an NBC documentary titled If Japan can... Why can't we? about the increasing industrial competition the United States was facing from Japan.

Ford Motor Company was one of the first American corporations to seek help from Deming. In 1981, Ford's sales were falling. Between 1979 and 1982, Ford had incurred $3 billion in losses. Ford's newly appointed Division Quality Manager John A. Manoogian was charged with recruiting Dr. Deming to help jump-start a quality movement at Ford. [15] Deming questioned the company's culture and the way its managers operated. To Ford's surprise, Deming talked not about quality but about management. He told Ford that management actions were responsible for 85% of all problems in developing better cars. In 1986 Ford came out with a profitable line of cars, the Taurus-Sable line. In a letter to Autoweek Magazine, Donald Petersen, then Ford Chairman, said, "We are moving toward building a quality culture at Ford and the many changes that have been taking place here have their roots directly in Dr. Deming's teachings." [16] By 1986, Ford had become the most profitable American auto company.

For Deming's fourteen points on Theories of Managment and seven Diseases that Stand in theWay of Transformation please see the full article.

Notes from excerpt above:
15. The Deming Management Method, Mary Walton, W. Edwards Deming, Penguin Group, 1986, pp 138-139.
16. Ford Embraces Six-Sigma Quality Goals.

Survival Favors the Prepared Written By: Joe Feord

As economic desperation splits the competitive hair even thinner, Munro & Associates steps up for their customers.

"This is good for us and great for our customers," says Sandy Munro, Founder and CEO of Munro & Associates. "We can now deliver 21 years worth of experience more efficiently and cost effectively than ever before."

One missed step in today’s climate could spell disaster. No company can afford to head into product development without first planning for everything. Worrying about things later is not an option. Competition is fierce and money is tight, so Munro & Associates is stepping up and providing their predictive tools more affordably so their customers can prepare and plan to be competitive in the coming markets.

For more, please see the full article.

The Technology Source Written By: Alistair Munro

Munro & Associates has often been referred to as an "Innovation Factory." One of the key reasons for this is Munro's ability to deliver "technology infusion" into different manufacturing sectors. This is done by constantly observing and researching new technology trends. In the spirit of this, the Munro Report editors will dedicate a new article every issue about a new and excitng technology.

Basalt Fiber:
The Poor Man’s Carbon Fiber

So what is basalt fiber? First let's start with what basalt is - basalt is basically solidified volcanic lava which makes up approximately one third of the earth's crust. It is long been known for its strength durability and chemical resistance. In fact it was even used by the Romans for building roads because of its wear resistance. It has also been used for many years in pipelining due to its corrosive resistant nature, such as in slag cement production.

Most of the research into basalt fiber has been carried out in Russia, the Ukraine, and even China. It is still not very well known about in the US. Hopefully this will change because after considering its high thermal resistance, chemical resistance, mechanical strength, and of course price (not to mention its ecological or "green" factor), it is finally positioned to take its place, if not its crown, amongst Carbon fiber applications.

With a tensile strength that can surpass E-glass fiber, and a max temperature application that exceeds E-glass fiber, S2-glass, Aramid, and Carbon Fiber, and yet is cheaper than all of the above, as well as the added benefit of being able to be recycled (Melted E-Glass clogs incinerators; OEM’s have to pay costly "fines" to Gov’t to refurbish incinerators), it is a wonder that more US and Canadian manufacturers aren't looking into this gem of a material.

This is not an entirely new and risky technology. Acura is already using it in the headliner of the current-generation Acura MDX.

Thus, the question is, "What can basalt fiber technology do for your bottom line?"

For more information, contact:
Ivan Chambers
Munro & Associates
ivanc@leandesign.com
Phone: 1 248-362-5110

10 Best Practices for Design From the Design Profit Silver Book

Each issue of The Munro Report will feature one of Munro's Design Principles. Implementation of these principles will help maximize the profitability of your product through its design.

Lean Design Principles - 08

Design a product for "Poka Yoke" (Error Proof) - Design for B.O.B. (Blindfolded One-Armed Builder)

Poka Yoke is a Japanese term which means "error proof" or "fail-safing" in order to ensure that two parts cannot be assembled in a wrong configuration. Originally this process was described as Baka-yoke by Shigeo Shingo as part of the Toyota Production System, but as this means "idiot proof" the name was changed to the more politically correct Poka-yoke. Although, this would seem like common sense, many engineers in all manufacturing sectors tend to overlook this in their design process.

It is essential for good engineers to communicate with people on the manufacturing floor in order to get a better understanding of how their designs are actually being put together. It can be very easy for an engineer to perhaps overlook a part design that could be assembled upside down as well as right side up or left-handed versus right-handed. If the parts are put together incorrectly it can create a manufacturing issue further down the assembly line where the operator would be forced to disassemble and go back, or perhaps scrap a part or even a whole assembly. Parts assembled wrong can create a manufactures defect that may escape undetected. This affects the quality of the product causing future warranty issues thus reducing the company's overall profit. Engineers designing parts must consider assembly and design so parts can’t physically be put together wrong. Remember that in all cases, the engineer or designer must consider designing for B.O.B. or a Blind One-armed Operator - essentially, a one armed robot.

If your designs are not able to be put together by B.O.B., then you need to seriously rethink your design process.