Lean Built: Manufacturing Freedom

Jay and Andrew talk about Jay's new Zeiss CMM, how to not burn up somebody's goodwill, documenting processes, face to face versus shoulder to shoulder versus face to screen, the high cost of small errors, and the dangers of automation. Plus Jay pushes back on whether Andrew should get a lathe ... side quests are dangerous!

Jay and Andrew talk about lean drift in other shops, waiting on other contractors, construction crews doing wrong things, shop layout improvements, inventory systems, known knowns vs. known unknowns vs. unknown unknowns, when routine becomes inhibiting, customers wanting to modify equipment, and more.

Andrew and Jay talk a lot about the philosophy of buying machines ... do you buy a piece of junk first just to learn? Or sink money into something great when you don't know what you're doing? They also talk about hiring, finding good candidates, company culture, how the manufacturing industry is and isn't like the software industry, and much more.

Jay has some riggers coming which leads to a discussion of memory and checklists, dealing with dishonest sales reps, give-aways and order returns, plus Andrew's new 3D printer!

Andrew and Jay talk updating workflow, picking battles, the "three-legged stool", optimizing processes, top line vs bottom line, the importance of trust, helping people in an efficient way, and much more.

Andrew and Jay talk about fixing problems (not symptoms), teaching employees without making assumptions about what's intuitive, Fusion 360 vs Solidworks, stress and control in decision making, half measures, the 95% rule, and a lot more!

Andrew and Jay talk about communicating lead times, managing customer expectations, the mystery of memory, malice vs. incompetence, and much more.

Jay talks about why he walked away from a big purchase because of a feeling, Andrew talks about the perils of moving shop, they both talk about perceived value versus psychological value, and a whole more.

Jay and Andrew talk about customer service software, systemization, and problems with shipping, plus Jay talks about how he smokes everyone on building a lego set ... and the business application of said skill.

Andrew and Jay talk about buying used equipment, navigating vacations, interoffice communication, the "Lego test", competitive advantage, and more.

Jay and Andrew talk about solar panels, insurance, Relevant Selling by Jaynie Smith, selling machines, minimizing decisions, and more.

Andrew and Jay talk abut giving every employee the right to see what's not working, how to decide what to fix when, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, customer satisfaction vs company sustainability, and more.

Jay and Andrew talk about vacations, coming back from vacations, their latest lean improvements, the great opportunity that comes with a new employee, and more.

Jay and Andrew talk about what makes a useful (and intuitive) design, employee personality types, perceived value vs actual value, and more.

Andrew and Jay talk through the 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni, reward vs. burnout, mitigating against your own weaknesses as a leader, and a whole lot more.

We're off and running, folks, as Jay and Andrew talk about how they each start they day and how that impacts company culture, the three bin system, distributing for other manufacturers, taxes, the eternal trade-off of time versus money, structuring a team, ruthless culling of social media, and more.