Richard J. Schonberger

Schonberger & Associates

Bellevue, WA, USA

Best Practices

Look for Dr. Schonberger's new book, Best Practices in Lean Six Sigma Process Improvement: A Deeper Look . . . Telling Evidence from the Leanness Studies (Wiley, 2008). In this broadly and deeply researched book Richard taps the "leanness studies" (15 or more years of hard data on 1,300 large, global companies) backed up by company interviews, and draws often surprising, out-of-the-mainstream conclusions about the global state of lean and process improvement.

Let's Fix It!

Schonberger's 2001 book details how to cope in the new era of hypercompetition--and accounting scandals (see, especially, Performance Management chapters 6 and 7--on what must be done inside the firm to reveal real strengths and weaknesses):

Let's Fix It!  Overcoming the Crisis in Manufacturing:   How the World's Leading Manufacturers Were Seduced by Prosperity and Lost Their Way (Paying the Price of Stock Hyping and Management Fads) - Available in bookstores and on the Net

Schonberger Speaking Presentations:

Two-Day, One-Day, and Mini-Workshops/Seminars

Customized On-Site Company Seminars

Keynote Addresses; Company-Specific Presentations

And from Free Press imprint of Simon & Schuster:
Let's Fix It!  Overcoming the Crisis in Manufacturing: How the World's Leading Manufacturers Were Seduced by Prosperity and Lost Their Way (2001).

World Class Manufacturing — The Next Decade: Building Power, Strength, and Value (1996), in seven languages and six printings.

Building a Chain of Customers: Linking Business Functions to Create the World Class Company (1990), in five languages; over 28,000 copies sold.

World Class Manufacturing Casebook: Implementing JIT and TQC (1987); over 30,000 copies sold.

World Class Manufacturing: The Lessons of Simplicity Applied (1986), in eight languages and 20 printings; over 150,000 copies sold.

Japanese Manufacturing Techniques: Nine Hidden Lessons in Simplicity (1982), in nine languages and 25 printings; over 160,000 copies sold.

Schonberger is originator of the now widely-used term (and supporting concepts), world class manufacturing..

Among his current activities, Dr. Schonberger is director of: 1. The Leanness Studies, an on-going tracking of inventory turnover data for more than 1,200 companies in 33 countries.  2. An international benchmarking  research project called World Class by Principles (WCP),  with assisting research partners in leading nations globally.

Miscellaneous Schonberger Presentations, 2004-12:

Recent 2-day, 1-day, half-day workshops/seminars: Santa Catarina, NL, Mexico (Sponsor: Katcon, Inc.): Stockholm, Sweden (Sponsor: Swedish Six Sigma and Lean);  Williamsport, PA (Sponsor: Primus Technologies); Norman, OK (Sponsor: Southwestern Executive Lean Summit); Vancouver, BC, Canada (Sponsor: POM Society) Cardiff, Wales, UK (Sponsor: Lean Enterprise Research Center, Cardiff University); Steyr, Austria, for SKF Management (Sponsor: Upper Austria Univ. of Applied Science); Manchester, UK (Sponsor: Manufacturing Institute); Mumbai, India (Sponsor: RA Knowledge Forums); New Delhi, India (Sponsor: RA Knowledge Forums); Shanghai, PR China--in 2007 and 2008 (Sponsor: Mena Maxson); Cleveland (Cleveland APICS); Santa Clara, CA (Santa Clara APICS); Nashville, TN (sponsor: Shingo Prize); Tijuana, Mexico (principal sponsor: Calidad Total Empresarial)

Webinar, Lean Frontiers, Dec. 11, 2012

Keynote, Spring Conference, The Association (of college administrators), Puyallup, WA, Apr. 13, 2012

Keynote, ASQ Lean and Six Sigma 11th Anniversary Conference, Phoenix, AZ, Feb. 27, 2012

Professional Development Meeting, APICS Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, Nov. 16, 201

Professional Development Meeting, APICS Rochester, Rochester, NY, Nov. 15, 2011

Keynote, Hand Tools Institue Annual Conference, Chicago, Oct. 20, 2011

Keynote, Van Lente & De Vos "Slimmer Werken" Conference, Eindhove, Netherlands, June 1, 2011

Keynote, 7th Swedish Six Sigma and Lean Conference, Stockholm, Sweden, May 31, 2011

Keynote, 1st International Conference on Value Chain Management, Univ. of Applied Sciences, Steyr, Austria, May 5, 2011

Keynote, Vortex 2011, Instituto Technologico Hermosillo, Hermosillo, Mexico, Mar. 15, 2011

Keynote, ChemChina Annual Managers' Meeting, Bejing, China, Jan. 14, 2011

Keynote, 41st Annual Meeting, Decision Sciences Institute, San Diego, Nov. 21, 2010

Invited "Hot Topics" Event, 2010 APICS International Conference, Las Vegas, NV, Oct. 19, 2010

Keynote, Oklahoma Conference on Manufacturing, Norman, OK, Sept. 21, 2010

Professional Development Meeting, Puget Sound APICS, Bellevue, WA, April 14, 2010

Invited address, Bainbridge Graduate Institute, Bainbridge Island, WA, Feb. 5, 2010

Keynote, South Carolina Lean Alliances Annual Conference, Greenville, SC, Dec. 9, 2009

Keynote, Lean Leaders' Night, AME Annual Conference, Covington, KY, Oct. 20, 2009

Keynote, Annual Job-Shop Lean Conference, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, Sept. 14, 2009

Keynote, Annual AME-CME Conference, Calgary, AL, Canada, June 2, 2009

Keynote, 15th Annual IEMS Conference, Cocoa Beach, FL, Mar. 9, 2009

Professional Development Meeting, Western Washington APICS, Bellingham, WA, Nov. 5, 08

Keynote, Lean Accounting Summit 2008, Las Vegas, Sept. 18, 08

Freatured Speaker, SABMiller Biennial Technical Conference, Krakow, Poland, Sept. 2, 08

Keynote, SAPAmericas Lean Enterprise Summit, Philadelphia, July 22, 08

Keynote, Lean Enterprise Research Center's 2008 Conference, Cardiff, Wales, UK, July 4, 08

AME Western Regional Conference, San Diego, Supply-Chain Flight, June 10, 08

Plenary Speaker, Forum Production & Management 2008, Upper Austria Univ. of Applied Science, Steyr, Austria, May 29, 08

Keynote, Noria Lean 2008 Conference, Nashville, TN, May 22, 08

Plenary Speaker, 19th IIE Annual Conference, Vancouver, BC, May 20, 08

Keynote, Lean Track, IIE Annual Conference, Vancouver, BC, May 19, 08

Keynote, 19th Annual Production/Operations Management (POMS) meeting, La Jolla, CA, May 10, 08

Keynote, 20th Annual Shingo Prize Conference, Dallas, TX, Apr. 3, 08

Professional Development Meeting, APICS-Seattle, Bellevue, WA, Dec. 12, 07

Mini-Seminar, Coloplast, Global Operations Management Seminar, Humlebaek, Denmark, Nov. 14, 07

INFORMS Annual Meeting, Seattle, Nov. 4, 2007

Keynote, Supplier Day, Schweitzer Engineering Labs, Pullman, WA, Feb. 13, 07

Keynote, Manufacturing Teleconference, Genlyte, Jan. 17, 07

Keynote, Lean Accounting Summit, Orlando, FL, Sept. 21, 06

Seminar, SWEP International, Landskrona, Sweden, Sept. 4-5, 06

Keynote, "International Conference on Agile Manufacturing," Norfolk, VA, July 19, 06.

"Lean Services" presentations, IronMan 06 Conference, Standard Chartered Bank, Singapore, Jan. 12, 06

Cardinal Health, Columbus, OH, Nov. 16, 05

Keynote, 4th Annual Applied Mfg. Conference, Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center, Arlington, TX, Oct. 27-28, 05

42nd PLAN Logistics Conference, Stockholm, Sweden, Apr. 15, 05

AmorePacific Co., Seoul, Korea, Dec. 3, 04

Lean Enterprise Seminar, Korean Standards Asso. Consulting, Seoul, Korea, Dec. 2, 04

Korean Tools Industry Cooperative, Seoul, Korea, Dec. 1, 04

Korea Western Power Co., Seoul, Korea, Dec. 1, 04

Customers of Arrow Electr., San Jose., Nov.11, 04

Customers of Arrow Electronics, Minneapolis., Nov. 9, 04

Customers of Arrow Electronics, Boston, Oct. 26, 04

Universidad Aut�noma del Noreste, Torre�n, Mexico, Oct. 15, 04

2004 APICS International Conference, San Diego, Nov. 12, 04

RMIT University, Melbourne Australia, Sept. 3, 04

City of Dandenong/Victoria government, Springvale, VIC, Australia, Sept. 2, 04

City of Dandenong/Victoria government, VIC, Australia, Sept. 1, 04

MBA students, PE Technikon, Port Elizabeth, S. Africa, June 21, 04

Lean leader session, Shingo Prize Conference, May 19, 04

Saginaw Valley APICS/NAPM/mfg. asso., Apr. 13, 04

“Lean” event, Manufacturers Resource Center, Allentown, PA, Mar. 30, 04

4^th Ind. Engrg. Symposium, Tecnologico de Delicias, Delicias, Mexico, Mar. 23, 04

Takata Seat Belts, Monterrey, Mexico, Mar. 10-11, 04

To Order Products & Services

For book information,  please contact:

Schonberger & Associates
e-mail: sainc17@centurylink.net
177  107th Ave. NE, #2101
Bellevue, WA 98004
425-467-1143 (tel/fax) 

To order books:

• Books

About the Seminars and Workshops:

Dr. Schonberger has offered open-to-the-public and on-site one- and two-day seminars and workshops in major U.S. cities, and in 25 other countries continually since 1982.  The current, much revised and updated, workshop is commonly titled "Lean Extended: World Class Manufacturing in an Era of Hypercompetition."  Schonberger's workshops, seminars, and other presentations have been conducted at over 300 client companies worldwide, generally in connection with his advisory services.  The Schonberger videotape program, "World Class Manufacturing," acclaimed by Quality Digest, is available as a 12-tape set.

Typical Workshop/Seminar Topics:

• Lean/6 sigma--strong practices, weak results (evidence from the global "leanness studies - many-year inventory trends for over 1,600 companies in 32 countries); need to get high-level buy-in by putting focus on customer rather than operational benefits
• Clamping down on "cooking the books." Don't allow numb and dumb internal metrics--made up of batched data that averages-out details--help hide financial malfeasance
• Your Lean Team--Use it or lose it! A multi-local business growth strategy that keeps the team challenged--knowledge-driven opportunities to expand into new, globally attractive locales
• Outsourcing in a high-risk world. To cope with new cross-border shipping delays and fully maintain JIT . . .  protect yourself with off-line buffer stock--for purchased items only!
• What do paper/paper products manufactuers and distributor/wholesaler companies have in common?  Hard evidence shows: They are among the leanest of 35 industry sectors.
• Emulate the world's leanest--best inventory removal trends: Dell Computer in manufacturing, Wal-Mart in retailing. No other companies are able to capture Wall Street attention mainly for stories about leanness rather than for financial numbers! This workshop explains why--the total lean-pursuit advantage
• Shock! The global leanness studies show "heavy motor vehicles" and "motors and engines" ranking low on the list of 35 industries. Lean formulas of the past are not enough.
• Second shock! The complacency bug: How it bit even Toyota, which has among the worst inventory turnover trends--for 19 years--of 56 motor-vehicle companies
• Industrial Competitiveness - Has it run its course? After two decades of "getting lean," new evidence of complacency. Substantial numbers of "best companies," including many award winners, have ceased to improve lean numbers--and many more are back-sliding. Find out what to do to get back on track--and stay there
• Raising the bar--3 years of  improvement on most of the 16 principles at Fortune 500 company and at a Mexican maquiladora manufacturer
• The laggard industries: Most manufacturers in medical devices/pharmaceuticals, textiles, and chemicals are on a slippery-slope opposite to lean. What must be done?
• Why three MRP pioneers lost their competitive edge in the late '80s:   lessons learned from Tennant, Twin Disc, Tektronix
• Fighting the shrinking "program half-life" phenomenon--via 16 company-wide "customer-focused, employee-driven, data-based" principles; the stabilizing effects of "super-programs" (e.g., at Emerson Electric and Baxter International)
• Shifting roles of managers (away from "direct-report" focus) and supervisors/lead operators (away from giving orders)--both becoming facilitators
• Suggestion program ailing? You can make it work by pushing expertise/approval/ implementation downward; how two U.S. companies exceed 50 suggestions per person every year!
• No "Cycle of Woe": Slow the global low-wage chase to turtle-pace by tapping the full potential of your labor-intensive plants in assembly-oriented developing countries; lessons from Mexico's maquiladoras prove the case for applying best-practice job/cell/line designs even where labor is not costly
• Don't "dollarize" a common-sense improvement idea (adding a costing step is waste); and do measure success in the eyes of customers (monetary success will follow)
• How visual management can cut detailed IT transactions and reports while boosting continuous improvement
• "Copy exactly!" - an Intel invention that avoids reinventing each new factory - the idea catching on with Nypro, Exxon Chemicals, Honda, Valeo (France)
• Chess is positional. So is the factory. Lean factory design, often with right-sized, "home-designed/made" equipment is the missing link for many manufacturers--and some whole industries
• How value-chain collaborations and continuous replenishment can cut through operations-marketing-finance squabbles over what/how much/when to produce (e.g., at J&J and Wal-Mart)
• Purchasing's new challenge--in global sourcing: Unmask the pretenders (claiming low price, quick response, and high quality) by delving into 1) their lot-replenishment times (quickness) and 2) on-hand inventories (leanness)
• 3 frequency-focused best practices used by the lean leaders: customer surveys weekly (one Baldrige winner's system); feedback to suppliers daily (two Ireland manufacturers); setups timed and plotted every time (a labels maker--a multi-stage production line with color presses)
• How to decide the next best step to take on your world-class journey:  1) which of your scores on the 16 principles are low; 2) where it makes a big competitive difference; 3) taking "paths of least resistance"
• Are your performance metrics within your employees' "zones of influence"? If not, the metrics will fall flat. Find out how to set metrics that reach your employees' hearts and minds
• Broad-based recognition and reward (a "basket of values" designed not to break the bank) is key to keeping the work force motivated and involved
• What lean/world-class is not: Throw out the book on job classifications, price-based purchasing, promotion-based sales, work order and WIP tracking--and overhead-absorption cost accounting!
• Per-plant limits on size, people, part numbers; per-cell limits on people, stations, task variety: retaining a small-company feel, avoiding bureaucracy, holding down overhead and long-distance handling
• Logical cell--when physical cell is impractical . . . cellularize your key service processes, too!
• Are you getting more/less competitive? Modular design/buying/ delivery make stronger suppliers, reduce part-number burdens for customers
• Managing chaos via economy-of-control management: done right, the fewest controls (including internal IT transactions)  yields highest control

 

Books

To order, contact:

John Wiley Publishers                           www.wiley.com    201-748-6000 

The Free Press/Simon & Schuster       800.223.2336      201.767.5000
                                    Volume Orders:     800.323.7445      212.632.4910

McGraw-Hill Irwin and Irwin Professional Publishing     800.634.3963

Best Practices in Lean Six Sigma Process Improvement: A Deeper Look . . . with Telling Evidence from the Leanness Studies, New York: Wiley, 2008.

Let's Fix It!  Overcoming the Crisis in Manufacturing:   How the World's Leading Manufacturers Were Seduced by Prosperity and Lost Their Way, New York: Free Press, 2001.

World Class Manufacturing—The Next Decade: Building Power, Strength, and Value, New York:  Free Press, 1996, six printings. (Also available in German, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, Taiwan Chinese, and Bahasa Indonesian).

SynchroService! The Innovative Way to Build a Dynasty of Customers (with Edward Knod), Burr Ridge, Ill.: Irwin Professional Publications, 1994.

Operations Management: Meeting Customers' Demands (with Edward Knod), Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin, 7th ed., 2001. (Also available in Chinese and Italian).

Building a Chain of Customers: Linking Business Functions to Create the World Class Company, New York: Free Press, 1990. (Also available in Italian, Portuguese, French, and Spanish).

World Class Manufacturing Casebook: Implementing JIT and TQC, New York: Free Press, 1987.

World Class Manufacturing: The Lessons of Simplicity Applied, New York: Free Press, 1986, 20 printings. (Also available in Italian, Portuguese, German, French, Finnish, and two versions in Spanish).

Japanese Manufacturing Techniques: Nine Hidden Lessons in Simplicity, New York:  Free Press, 1982, 25 printings. (Also available in Swedish, French, Finnish, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Thai, and Russian).

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Recent Articles

"The Leaning of Healthcare" (Original title: "Lean: Going Astray in Healthcare"), Advance for Long-Term Care Management, http://long-term-care.Advanceweb.com/Features/Articles/The-Leaning-of-healthcare.aspx, Dec. 4, 2012.

"Lean's Western Beginnings: Part II - The Lean Era," Lean Management Journal, Issue 8, Vol. 2, Oct. 2012, pp. 19-23.

"Lean Management: What Has Changed in 25 Years?" Cost Management, May-June 2012, pp. 15-19.

"Tangled Mess" (full title: "Quality Beneficial Factory Designs: Avoiding Long, Cold Entangled Audit Trails"), Quality Progress, cover story, May 2012, pp. 16-22.

"Lean's Western Beginnings: Part I - The JIT Era and Transition to Lean," Lean Management Journal, Vol. 2, No. 2, Mar. 2012, pp. 26-30.

"Management of Lean Value Chains: Weak Effectiveness Metrics Hamper Executive Oversight," in H. Jodlhauer, J. Olhager, and R. Schonberger, eds. Modeling Value. Selected Papers of the 1st International Conference on Value Chain Management (Springer, 2012, pp. 65-75.

"Unjumbling Value Streams Could Make Boeing's Impressive Lean Gains Even Better," Industrial Engineer, June 2001, pp. 26-30.

"Can Lean Manufacturing Find Its Way in Packaged Goods?" Target, 2nd Issue, 2011, pp. 19-24.

"Lean Production: Hard to Find in China," Manufacturing Engineering, Apr., 2011, p. 112.

"Taking the Measure of Lean: Efficiency and Effectiveness, Part II," Interfaces, Mar.-Apr., 2011, pp. 188-193.

"Taking the Measure of Lean: Efficiency and Effectiveness, Part I," Interfaces, Mar.-Apr., 2011, pp. 180-187.

"Fixing Toyota: Quality Is Hard, Lean Much Harder," FT Press (digital shorts), Amazon, Fall, 2010.

"World Class Manufacturing Up to Date," Optimaal, 20th Anniversary Issue, Van Lente and de Vos, July 2010.

"The Human (HR) Side of Lean," Target, 4th Issue 2009.

"The Lean League," Works Management (U.K.), June 2009, lead (cover article), pp. 14-17.

"Plight of the Detroit Three," iienet2, IIE Website articles, April 13, 2009.

"Consider the Downside of OEE," Manufacturing Engineering, Dec. 2008, p. 128.

"The Skinny on Lean Management: Learn Why This Process Falls Flat in Marketing . . . and Why It Matters," Sales & Marketing Management, Nov.-Dec., 2008, pp. 11-12.

"Tracking Toyota's Postion: Is This All-Out-for-Growth Automaker Losing Its Advantage?" APICS Magazine, Sept.-Oct., 2008, pp. 34-37.

"Lean Performance Management (Metrics Don't Add Up)," lead article, Cost Management, January-February, 2008, pp. 5-10.

"Unsung Stars of Lean," Industrial Engineer, February 2008, p. 22.

"Faltering Lean," Industrial Engineer, November 2007, p. 22.

"Doing Offshore Assembly Right," Industrial Engineer, August 2007, p. 26.

"Japanese Production Management: An Evolution--with Mixed Success," Journal of Operations Management, 25, Issue 2 (March 2007), pp. 403-419.

"Supply Chains: Tightening the Links," Manufacturing Engineering, Sept. 2006, pp. 77-92.

"Lean Extended:  It's Much More (and Less) than You Think," Industrial Engineer, Dec. 2005, pp. 26-31.

"Lean s� in i Norden" (The Nordic Countries:  Lean Leaders), Verkstaderna (Sweden), May, no. 5, 2005, pp. 46-50 (with Jan Olhager).

"U.K.:  Less Keen on Lean?"  Lean Manufacturing Research Report, The Manufacturer (U.K.), April, 2005, pp. 5-7. 

"Quadrant Homes Applies Lean/JIT Concepts in a Project Environment," Interfaces, Nov.-Dec. 2004 (with co-authors), pp. 442-450.

"Make Work Cells Work for You," Quality Progress, April 2004, pp. 58-63 (alternate title, "The Quality Dividend of Cellular Manufacturing," short version of same article in ASQ Seattle Newsletter, Jan. 2003, p. 7).

"Mandate to Grow," Cost Management, March-April 2004, pp. 43-44.

"The Baldrige Revisited," Quality Digest (interviews of Baldrige officials and Richard Schonberger), March 2004, pp. 25-30.

"Is South African Manufacturing Lean?" Management Today (South Africa), Feb. 2004, pp. 20-22.

"Good to Great?  Mostly Not," book review, Target, First Issue, 2004, p. 58.

"Inventory Bloat at Toyota. What Gives?" Industry Week interview: Richard Schonberger discusses some findings of "the leanness studies"; at:   http://www.iwvaluechain.com/Features/articles.asp?ArticleId=1444

“The Right Stuff, Revisited,” Manufacturing Systems, Sept. 2003, pp. 26-30.

“Canada Needs to Go on a Lean Diet,” Advanced Manufacturing (Canada), July-August 2003.

“How Lean/TQ Helps Deter Cooking the Books,” J. of Cost Management, lead article, May-June 2003, pp. 5-14.

“Your Lean Team—Use It or Lose It,” Target, 1^st Quarter 2003, lead (cover) article, pp. 13-21.

"Jack Spratt Diet:  Schonberger Talks Lean with the Likes of Toyota," cover-story interview with Richard Schonberger, The Manufacturer (U.K. version) Nov. 2002, pp. 34-37.

"Lean and Fat Factories," The Manufacturer (U.S. version), Nov. 2002, lead (cover) article, pp. 16-19.

"Leaning the Wrong Way,"  Decision Line, Sept.-Oct. 2002, pp. 15-17.

"Global Leaning--The Lean League," in White Paper:  "The Road to World Class Manufacturing 2000," The Manufacturer (U.K. version), 2002, pp. 26-31

"Lean Is as Lean Does," Manufacturing Engineering, June 2002, p. 104.

"Open-Book Management:  Less than Meets the Eye," Journal of Cost Management, Jan.-Feb. 2002, pp. 12-17.

"Is the Baldrige still about Quality? Quality Digest, December 2001, pp. 25-30.

"Kanban—Automatic Constraints Manager," Journal of Corporate Accounting and Finance (May-June 2000), pp. 73-76.

"Comment on 'Using Product Profiling to Illustrate Manufacturing- Marketing Misalignment,'" Interfaces, 29, No. 6, Nov.-Dec. 1999, pp. 127-132

"Performance Management for a World-Class Work Force," Target, Forth Quarter 1999, pp. 36-40

"Time-Relevant Metrics--Avoiding the Unbalanced Scorecard," electronic proceedings, Association for Manufacturing Excellence annual conference, Oct. 11-15, 1999

"Economy of Control," Quality Management Journal, 6, no. 1, 1999, pp. 10-18.

"Becoming Extra-Lean: Competitiveness in the Next Century," Proceedings Notebook, The Best of North America: Becoming Lean Conference, Chicago, Nov. 2-5, 1998, pp. 477-488.

"Customer-Focused Service Management: Driving Change up the Hierarchy and Outward," Hospital Material Management Quarterly, 19, no. 3, February 1998, pp. 35-41.

"Seeking Solid Ground for Strategic Management," Productivity (National Productivity Council, India), Vol. 38, No. 3, October-December 1997, pp. 355-61.

"Rate-Based Scheduling at OPW Fueling Components," Production and Inventory Management Journal, Third Quarter 1997, pp. 6-10.

"Two Implementation Approaches:  Systematic and Dynamic," APICS — The Performance Advantage, March 1997, pp. 46-50.

"Inventory Turnover Makes a Statement," Industrial Engineering Solutions, November 1996, pp. 16-17.

"The Next Decade:  Driving Change Up the Hierarchy and Outward," 1996 Conference Proceedings, APICS International Conference, October 13-16, 1996, pp. 112-113.

"Backing Off from the Bottom Line," Executive Excellence, May 1996, pp. 16-17.

"Signposts on the Road to 2005," Manufacturing Engineering, April 1996, p. 136.

"World-Class Manufacturing:  The Next Decade," book excerpt in Industry Week, March 18, 1996, pp. 21-24.

"Strategic Collaboration:  Breaching the Castle Walls," Business Horizons, March-April, 1996, pp. 2-8.

"TQM: What's in It for Academics?," Business Horizons, January-February, 1995, pp. 67-70.

"Product Costing as a Rare Event," Target, November-December 1994, pp. 8-16.

"Get Your Service Elements Chained Up and Synchronized," Boston Business Journal, December 16-22, 1994, p. 11.

"Human Resource Management Lessons from a Decade of Total Quality Management and Reengineering," California Management Review, Summer 1994, pp. 103-123.

"Total Quality:  Teamsmanship Over Leadership," Benchmarking for Quality and Technology Management, Vol. 1, No. 1, 1994, pp. 38-47.

"Less Scorekeeping as TQM Takes Root," Journal of Cost Management, Summer 1994, pp. 3-4.

"The Typical Manufacturing Firm:  Two Companies in One," Management (Australia), June 1994, pp. 5-8.

"The Human Side of Kanban," Industrial Engineering, August 1993, pp. 34-36.

"Is Strategy Strategic?  Impact of Total Quality Management on Strategy," Academy of Management Executive, August 1992, pp. 80-87.

"Total Quality Management Cuts a Broad Swath — Through Manufacturing and Beyond," Organizational Dynamics, Spring 1992, pp. 16-28.

"Take Out What Doesn't Add Value by Doing It 'Just-in-Time'," Chemical Processing, April 1992, pp.58-62.

"Lurking Issues in Cost Management," Journal of Cost Management, Summer, 1991, p. 3.

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Schonberger & Associates

Richard Schonberger is director of two major research/benchmarking endeavors:

1. The "Leanness" Studies, which track inventory turnovers for more than 1,200 companies in 33 countries for at least 15 years. The research began in 1995 and add new data from latest audited financial reports yearly. Eye-opening findings from this research lead to deeper studies of causes, trends, and course corrections. Findings and conclusions are prominently featured in Schonberger's  book, Best Practices in Lean Six Sigma Process Improvement: A Deeper Look . . . Telling Evidence from the Leanness Studies (Wiley, 2008).

2. The evolution toward World Class by Principles (WCP). A WCP international benchmarking  research project began in 1995-1996 with 130+ companies, business units, or plants in various countries scoring themselves—zero to five points—on 16 customer-focused, employee-driven, data-based principles.  See a brief synopsis in his article in Industry Week magazine. "His (Schonberger's) research reveals the true predictors of future success in 16 customer focused principles validated and tested by more than 100 pioneering manufacturers in nine countries."
              - Industry Week

The project, now in phase 2 with over 500 participating business units in 15 countries, is aided by WCP research partners in leading nations globally. Many of the participating business units have been hand-picked for already having had some success in implementing "world-class" concepts; several, for example, were selected for having been awarded a Baldrige, Shingo Prize, "Best Plant," or other notable recognition.  This research continues, for both manufacturing and service organizations. Names of  participating companies are listed and research results fully reported in Schonberger's 2001 book, Let's Fix It! Overcoming the Crisis in Manufacturing: How the World's Leading Manufacturers Were Seduced by Prosperity and Lost Their Way. 

One way to get started is via attendance at Schonberger's manufacturing seminars. Each company attending is given an invitation-to-participate "kit." Alternatively, company managers may proceed on their own. To formally join the global "principles" network and benchmarking database, and receive a customized benchmarking report (some 40 pages in four parts), a company may request a kit from Richard Schonberger, or, if outside of the U.S. and Canada, from the Benchmarking Partner. In the U.S. and Canada this entails payment of a modest fee to help defray the costs of managing the WCP data base and issuing the customized reports.

For information about World Class by Principles, or about Schonberger & Associates or its client services, or just to chat, please contact:

Richard Schonberger
Schonberger & Associates
177 107th Ave. N.E., #2101
Bellevue, WA 98004
425-467-1143
E-mail: sainc17@centurylink.net

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WCP International Benchmarking Research

World Class by Principles (WCP) is:

• A set of core concepts and enduring basics
• A self-assessment tool
• An in-process international benchmarking study with WCP research partners in Italy, Germany, France, the U.K./Ireland, Sweden, Finland, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Hong Kong/China, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, and the U.S.
• A comprehensive strategy effective for any organization
• A system of implementation for much-elevated 21st-century competitiveness

A WCP benchmarking study began in 1995-1996 with 130+ companies, business units, or plants in nine countries participating.  The project is now in phase 2 and is aided by WCP research partners in leading nations globally. All together, over 470 largely manufacturing organizations have participated in the two phases.  (The small number of non-manufacturers that have been heard from thus far include several value-adding distributors, plus a scattering of service organizations such as hospitals, government agencies, and insurance companies).

The WCP centers on 16 "customer-focused, employee driven, data-based principles." The principles include all competitively vital processes--from organization to quality to promotion and marketing. Written criteria permit scoring an organization from zero to five points on each principle, thereby highlighting strengths and weaknesses. The scoring criteria are tough, so much so that some of the world's most admired companies and plants (e.g., recipients of international or national recognition of Baldrige Award stature) generally score an average of only 3 to 3 1/2 points per principle on the five-point scale, with lowest scores pointing to blind spots.  Average companies score much lower, and below-average companies often score less than one point on most principles.

The WCP's very high standards are deliberate--aimed at alarming the weak and overcoming the tendency of high achievers to become complacent and then to regress or be outflanked. The WCP system provides step-by-step pathways to global competitiveness well into the next century.

This benchmarking differs from others in several respects. For one thing, there are no external auditors or public awards. All benchmarking data arise from self-scoring by teams of knowledgeable managers. This simplifies and holds down the costs and time commitments for participating companies. All scores are held in strict confidence--which serves to keep the validity level high. That is, there is no reason for a company to inflate its scores; they are strictly for internal assessment, comparison with external benchmarks, and the basis for discovering and responding to discovered weaknesses.

The WCP research partners include: 
Apogee Consulting (Singapore)
Appleton Consultants (Taiwan)
EFESO Consulenza (Milan, Italy)
High Performance Consortium (Victoria, Australia)
Hong Kong Productivity Council (Hong Kong/China)
Korean Standards Association Consulting (Seoul, Korea)
Nestadt Consulting (Melbourne, Australia)
Northwest Development Agency (U.K.)
PE Technikon - Dr. Koot Pieterse (Port Elizabeth, South Africa)
Proconseil (Paris, France)
Sandholm & Associates (Stockholm, Sweden)
Sintec Consultores (Monterrey, M�xico)
Strat do Brazil (Brazil and Argentina)
Transfer-Centrum f�r Management und Technologie (Munich, Germany)
World Class International (U.K.)
Schonberger & Associates, Inc., and various others (United States).

Sample of Participating Companies/Business Units/Sites/Plants. The following is a small sample of the 500+ participants in the WCP benchmarking:

United States
A. T. Cross Co., Lincoln, RI (quality writing instruments)
ADAC Laboratories, San Jose, CA (diagnostic medical imaging)
Aeroquip Corp, New Haven, IN (marine products & Teflon bulk hose)
Alcatel Network Systems, Inc., Raleigh, NC (telecommunications equipment)
Allied-Signal fluid systems, Tempe, AZ (starters, valves, actuators)
Arkansas Eastman Div., Eastman Chemical Co. Batesville, Arkansas (specialty chemicals)
Armour-Swift-Eckrich, Downers Grove, IL (packaged and frozen meat products)
ATK Thiokol, Promontory Operations, Brigham City, UT (solid rocket motors, ordnance devices, energetic materials)
Baldor Electric, Fort Smith, AR (industrial electric motors)
Bama Pie, Ltd., Tulsa, OK (fresh & frozen bakery products, trucking)
Boeing Welded Duct plant, Auburn, WA
Carpenter Technologies, Reading, PA (specialty steels)
Chicago Metal Rolled Products Co., Chicago, IL (custom metal bending, curving, rolling)
Coach Leatherwear, Lars, PR (leatherwear)
Continental-General Tire, Mt. Vernon, IL (passenger and truck tires)
Copeland, Sidney, OH (air conditioning & refrigeration compressors)
Dana Spicier Axle Div., Columbia, MO (automotive axle assembly)
Dell Computer, Round Rock, TX (assembly-to-order personal computers)
Double G Coatings, Jackson, MS (galvanized & galvalume sheet steel)
Du Pont Furnishings, Camden, SC (Nylon carpet yarn)
Dynametal Technologies, Brownsville, TN (powder metal bearings & structurals)
Eastman Kodak Co., C.I. Worldwide Single-Use Camera Business, Rochester, NY
Ennis Automotive, Ennis, TX (remanufacture of armatures, copper motor windings, stators)
Exxon Baytown, Baytown, TX (chemicals)
Fender Musical Instruments, Corona, CA (guitars and amps)
Folger Coffee Co., Kansas City, MO (roast and ground coffee)
Ford North Penn Electronics, Lansdale, PA (automotive electronics)
Gates Rubber, Denver, CO (industrial belts & hoses)
G.E., ED&C Div., Auburn, ME (components for electrical devices)
GM Corp., Delphi Energy & Engine Mgmt. Systems Div., Grand Rapids, MI (valve lifters)
Hallmark Cards, Kansas City, MO (greeting cards, boxed cards, envelopes)
Harland Co., SE Regional Printing Facility, Greensboro, NC (check printing)
IBM Corp., Rochester, MN (AS/400 midrange commercial computers)
Intel Puerto Rico, Las Piedras, PR (desktop motherboards, server boards, network adapter cards)
Intermec, Everett, WA (barcode printers, readers, scanners)
ITW-Signode Engineered Products, Glenview,  IL (strapping tools, machines and strapping heads)
JDS/Uniphase, San Jose, CA (commercial lasers)
Johnson & Johnson Medical, Inc., Southington, CT (peripheral intravenous catheters)
Jostens, Denton, TX (class rings)
Kawasaki, Maryville, MO (small gasoline engines)
Kyocera Group, AVX Business, Vancouver, WA (electronic components, ceramic capacitors)
Lockheed Martin, Gov’t. Electronic Systems, Moorestown, NJ (phased-array radars & electronics)
Lucent Technologies, Oklahoma City, OK (wireless, switching, networking comm. infrastructure products)
M&M/Mars Confectionery Co., Hackettstown, NJ (confectionery products)
Marlow Industries, Dallas, TX (thermo-electric heat pumps and cooling systems)
Medtronic Promeon, Brooklyn Center, MN (medical device components)
Miller Brewing Co., Trenton, OH (beer)
Milliken, Business A (textiles)
Milton-Bradley Co., East Longmeadow, MA (games, puzzles, toys)
Nypro, Inc., Clinton, MA (custom-molded plastic components)
Oakwood Interiors, Ontario, CA (oak furniture)
Oral-B Laboratories, Iowa City, IA (manual and interdental tooth brushes)
Parker Hannifin Corp., Brookville, OH (tube fittings)
Pella Corp., Pella, IA (windows and doors)
Phillips Plastics, various sites in Wisconsin (injection molding)
Pilot Chemical Corp., Red Bank, NJ (detergents)
Planters-Lifesavers, Fort Smith, AR (peanuts and tree nuts)
Schindler Elevator Corp., Clinton, NC (escalators)
Senco Products, Inc., Cincinnati, OH (precision, collated nails & staples)
Solectron Washington (electronic manufacturing services)
Square D Company, Groupe Schneider NA, Columbia, SC (motor-control equipment)
Teledyne Electronic Technology, Halco, Londonderry, NH (hot-air solder leveling/application systems)
Tellabs, Inc., Bolingbrook, IL (telecommunications transmission and access products)
Tennalum - Kaiser Aluminum, Jackson, TN (hard alloy aluminum machining stock)
Texas Instruments, Lubbock, TX (semiconductor chips)
Textron Systems Corp., SFW Manufacturing/Engineering, Wilmington, MA (sensor-fused weapons)
Thomas Steel Strip Corp., Warren, MI (cold-rolled steel strip, plain and plated)
3M Printing & Publishing, Weatherford, OK (proofing film)
Trident Precision Manufacturing, Inc., Webster, NY (sheet metal fabrication, electro-mech. assemblies)
U.S. Steel, Irvin Plant, Dravosburg, PA (low-carbon sheet steel, galvanized sheet steel)
Wainwright Industries, St. Peters, MO (aerospace and automotive components)
White Cap, Downers Grove, IL (metal & plastic closures for glass & plastic jars and bottles)
Wilson Sporting Goods Co., Humboldt, TN (golf balls)
Zebra Technologies, Vernon Hills, IL (printers)

Americas (Other than U.S.)
Albany International, Perth Forming, Perth, ON, Canada (forming fabrics)
Baxter Corp., Alliston, ON, Canada (IV solutions, nutritional & irrigation solutions)
Becton Dickinson Vascular Access, S.A. de C.V., Nogales, Sonora, Mexico (medical disposable devices)
Bird Packaging, Guelph, ON, Canada (corrugated packaging solutions)
C�ble Alcan - Lapointe, Div. of d’Alcan Aluminium Limit�e, Jonqui�re, Qu�bec, Canada (wire and cable)
Ford Electronics, Markham, Ontario (automotive electronics)
G.E. Multilin, Markham, ON, Canada (microprocessor-based power system protection relays)
Harris Farinon Div., Quebec, Canada (digital microwave radios)
Inglis Ltd., Cambridge, Ontario (clothes dryers, trash compactors)
Johnson Controls, Inc., Ju�rez, Mexico (pressure/temperature electromechanical. devices)
KI Pembroke, Pembroke, ON, Canada (filing, storage, and desk manufacturing)
Levical division of Leviton, Tecate, Mexico (electrical products)
Mercedes-Benz do Brasil – Axles (S�o Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil)
Metalsa S.A., Apodaca, N.L., Mexico (fuel tanks & pickup frames)
Multibras, Rio Claro Plant, Brazil (clothes washers)
Northern Telecom, Calgary, Alberta (telephones)
Philips Consumer Electronics, El Paso/Ju�rez, Mexico (TV's, etc.)
Polywheels Manufacturing Ltd., Oakville, ON Canada (aftermarket and OEM wheeled products)
Rockwell Automation, Allen-Bradley, Cambridge, ON Canada (adjustable frequency drives/system products)
Transmissiones de Patencia Emerson SA de CV, El Salto, Jalisco, Mexico (ball bearings, sprockets, gears)
TRW Canada Ltd., Tillsonburg, ON Canada (automotive linkages and suspension products)
Yazaki – Productos Electricos Diversificados, Cd. . Ju�rez, Chih. Mexico (auto wiring harnesses)
Whirlpool Puntana S.A., San Luis, Argentina (refrigerators, washing machines)

Europe
Ahlstrom Pumps Corp., M�ntt�, Finland (specialty pumps)
Aritech Europe, Dusermond, Netherlands (security equipment)
ArvinMeritor, Blackpool, U.K. (automotive components)
BICC Components Ltd., Prescott, Merseyside, U.K. (cable components)
Caradon Trend, Horsham, West Sussex, U.K. (advanced electronics for building control)
Enermet GmbH, Dulsburg, Germany (electronic control devices)
Hamberger Industriewerke GmbH, Stephenskircken, Germany (hardwood flooring, laminates, toilet seats)
Herdmans Ltd., Country Tyrone, N. Ireland (linen yarn)
Hewlett Packard FCO, Ipswich, Suffolk, England (opto-electronic components)
Honeywell Scottish Operations, Motherwell, Lamarkshire (heating/cooling/microswitches)
Interlux Louvre Manufacturing, Milton Keynes, U.K. (louvre controls for lighting)
K&L Microwave Ltd., Bridlington, East Yorkshire, U.K. (microwave filters)
Killeen Corr Products, Dublin, Ireland (paper)
Kn�rr AG, M�nchen, Germany (sheet-metal enclosures)
Microsoft, Dublin, Ireland (software manufacturing)
Lilly (Eli), Fegersheim, France (pharmaceuticals)
Munster Simms Eng. Ltd., Bangor, N. Ireland (water systems for rec. vehicles)
Norelem, Cedex, Paris, France (work holding products)
Power-Packer Europa B.V., Oldenzaal, Holland (customized motion-control actuation systems)
Saman, Vitrolles, France (food products)
Schroff SAS, Betschdorf, France (electrical products)
Sew Usocome, plant no. 3, Haguenau, France (motors & engines)
Telemecanique-Ireland, Cophridge, Ireland (contactors)
TRW Airbag Systems GmbH & Co., Aschau, Germany (inflators for car passenger safety systems)
Unipart Industries, Ketlon, Kent, U.K. (gears, shafts)
Vitronics Soltec, Oosterhaut, Netherlands (reflow soldering ovens)
Waterford Crystal, Kilbarry, Ireland (crystal glasses)
Whirlpool Europe, Amiens, France (clothes washers, dryers)

South Africa
Amalgamated Beverage Canneries, So. Africa (carbonated soft drinks)
Cullinan Refractories, So. Africa (refractory products)
Daimler-Chrysler So. Africa (motor vehicles)
Eddels So. Africa (footwear manufacture)
Illovo Sugar Ltd., So. Africa (sugar)
Lever Brothers, So. Africa (detergents)
MG Glass, Durban, So. Africa (beverage containers)
Power Engineers, So. Africa (distribution transformers)
Rhomberg Electronics Manufacturing, So. Africa (industrial electronics)
South African Nylon Spinners (synthetic fibres & polyester polymers)
Toyota Auto. Comp., So. Africa (exhausts, fuel tanks, seats, chassis, box bodies, fabrication)

Australia & Asia
Adaptec, Singapore (raid server products, SCSI host adapters, ASIC, software)
All Head Services, Braeside, Australia (vehicle cylinder head reconditioning)
Bonlac Foods, Melbourne, Australia (cheese, milk powder, dairy products)
Cel Coatings Industries, Singapore (plataing for electronic metal components)
Davey Products, Huntingdale, Vic., Australia (pumps)
Dulmison (Thailand) Co., Bangkok, Thailand (transmission & distribution goods for power industry)
Indian Aluminum Co. Ltd., Belgaum, Karnataka, India (aluminum powder, special alumina products)
Knight Wah Technology Ltd., Hong Kong (contract electronic manufacturing)
MICO-Bosch, Jaipur, India
Morgan Zibo Insulators, Shandong, China (ceramic insulators)
Morlynn Insulators, Yarraville, Vic, Australia (ceramic insulators)
National Dairies, Muray Bridge, Australia (dairy dessert/cheeses)
Olex Cables, Tottenham, Vic., Australia (cables)
Onn Wah Prcision Engineering, Singapore (metalworking, machining, semicoductors, medical devices)
Tetra Pak Jurong Pte Ltd., Singapore (packaging for beverages)