Don was the faculty adviser on China Trip in early ’94. One of our visits was to Beijing Jeep, one of the oldest JVs (even by then) between China and a US company. It was not a well-run manufacturing site to say the least and – no surprise – the poor operations bothered Don. A lot. I have this clear memory of him pointing to a pile of rusting parts in the middle of the floor saying, “You want to know what Work in Process inventory looks like? THAT is Work in Process inventory.” In 1999, I was consulting to an electric motor manufacturer in the South. They had a pile of rejects near the front door – a (rather ineffectual) tactic of the general manager to shame workers into producing higher quality. It bothered me – a lot – and I heard Don’s voice in my head: THAT is Work in Process inventory.
Stories from the LGO Community