Lean Production Simplified, 3rd Edition

The Birth of Lean ◾ 7

Indeed, it was more like trench warfare. Many works of art satirized mass pro-

duction, including Charlie Chaplin’s classic film, Modern Times.

Quality

Quality took a backseat to production, and defect rates were very high by

current standards. Workers were not involved in the organization of the work.

They routinely withheld information that might improve the process. End-

of-line inspection became the norm. Quality specialists checked the finished

products and an army of repair technicians fixed the substandard products.

Machinery

Machinery became larger and larger in pursuit of scale economies.

Stamping machines, for example, often specialized in stamping a single

part. To justify the massive expense of the machinery, the ...