About 20 years ago the braided-steel steam hose on my shirt unit sprung a leak.  It was one of those leaks that was spraying steam onto some electrical parts so prompt attention was in order.  The problem was that my supplier didn’t have the correct diameter hose in stock.  I needed a ¾” (if I remember correctly), an unusual size, but all that was available was ½”.  That was good enough, I thought.

A few months ago I was working with a production manager in the Midwest.  There was an urgent need to cut labor at this plant.  Everyone was in agreement; the owner, the general manager, as well as my student, the production manager.  After 3 days of experimenting with various ways to cut labor, the plant was spinning like a top and was truly lean and mean.  At the start of the next day, it was clear to the manager that the plant could run better with fewer people.  Mission accomplished, I thought,