Well, manufacturing and production hit the news again. I saw pictures from Hungary this morning of the red sludge from an alumina plant flooding the streets of a town. The social consequences of our actions while pursuing our profession can be enormous. It pays to stop and think occasionally about the consequences of our decisions.
Somehow the powers within the company where I first learned manufacturing annointed me as an unofficial cost accountant. They gave me books to read, courses to study and practical experience. I just thank God that I was never officially an accountant. Lean guru Bill Waddell recently did a marathon speaking tour on Lean and has been writing about his experiences. In this post to his blog Evolving Excellence, he rants about management reliance upon financial accounting and its reliance on GAAP when that is really meant for investors and not for actually managing a plant. Worth a read.
Here is a new marketing blog, Stupid Marketing Tricks (he should have plenty of material). I’ve known Ted Wodoslawsky for more than 10 years. We’ve had some engaging dinner conversations. He has been at Rockwell and ABB. This should be an interesting read.
One final thought–politics. The aforementioned Bill Waddell has finally seen the light. In Republican Jabberwocky, he has figured out it’s better to look at the words and record of a politician and not just party ties. He cites the Republican Senator from Kentucky who figures that outsourcing jobs actually creates American jobs. Hmmm?
