
34 ◾ Lean Production Simplified, Third Edition
opportunities. The popularity of Dilbert suggests that knowledge waste may
be at epidemic proportions in North America.
When a company is connected to the voice of the customer it will create
products that consistently satisfy and even delight. When a company and its
suppliers are in tune, they will jointly identify muda and act to their mutual
benefit. There will be few missed opportunities. Womack and Jones
17
have
coined the term “macro value stream” to highlight the opportunities that
exist both upstream and downstream in the value chain.
A Word of Caution
Learning to see waste is an important first ...