
xv
Foreword
“Not another ‘Introduction to Lean’ book” was my immediate reaction upon
hearing from Pascal his plans for this Lean production overview. Surely, I
thought, we have plenty of books that cover the topic, maybe too many.
After all, the basics, merits, and various aspects of the system have been
chronicled in countless books, journal articles, research reports, semi-
nars, and lectures, especially since James Womack, Dan Jones, and their
researcher John Krafcik coined the term “Lean production” in 1989. Then
Pascal gave me the chance to read his manuscript. And I was convinced.
There is a need for a book exactly like this, and Pascal has ...