The Lean principle respect for people as respect for craftsmanship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reach a deeper understanding of the Lean principle of respect for people (RFP to facilitate Lean implementation in Western organizations outside Toyota. Design/methodology/approach This study uses an interpretative, hermeneutic approach to understand the RFP concept through a literature study of existing research about Lean implementation, and an inquiry into the underlying meaning of the RFP principle, by studying sources from Toyota and discussions about the RFP principle in Japan. Findings RFP is seen as a central principle in Lean implementations, but the failure of RFP is believed to cause Lean implementations to fail. The literature about Lean discusses the RFP principle both as a general positive atmosphere and as focused on developing the work capacity of employees. By studying the sources from Toyota, it could be understood that RFP is based on ought-respect. The authors also find that RFP is related to takumi, a perfected form of craftsmanship. The authors translate the concept to English by tying it to the recent literature about craft to develop RFP as RFC – respect for craftsmanship. Research limitations/implications As this is a conceptual paper, it is difficult to translate the findings into a tool for companies and organizations to use. However, that is the point of the paper: that the most important ideas are not translatable into tools. Practical implications It is necessary in Lean implementations to connect people’s work to craftsmanship. Through a discussion of craftsmanship before Lean implementations, it might be possible to nurture an understanding of the underlying values of Lean. Originality/value The authors have not found any papers that propose takumi as the base of the RFP principle, nor as a foundational concept at Toyota. It is necessary to understand the concept of takumi, as perfection in craft, to understand the RFP principle.

Pharmaceutical supply chain transformation through application of the Lean principle: A literature review

Purpose: This study aims to review the previous literature on the topic contained in the title in order to identify gaps in the existing research relating to lean supply chain-related issues within the pharmaceutical industry since limited attention has been devoted to this sector. Design/methodology/approach: This study presents a systematic literature review that proposes an analysis and classification of the previous literature as falling within one of four categories, namely; the supply chain area, research approach, research objective, and lean supply chain elements.Findings: The results of this study indicate that most attention was focused on manufacturing, while upstream suppliers, downstream activities and the entire supply chain process have received comparatively scant consideration. Similarly, the issues of information technology management, supplier management, customer relations, and logistics management as well as practitioner involvement represent inadequately developed topics. Future research should address these omissions, in addition to the integration of quality compliance and digital innovation as they relate to pharma 4.0.Practical implications: This article serves as a guide to acquiring sufficient knowledge of the pharmaceutical supply chain prior to implementing lean supply chain management. Moreover, it is anticipated that the research it contains will contribute to eradicating the knowledge gap by expanding the existing limited body of literature on the adoption of lean approach in the PSC.Originality/value: This study is one of a limited number of literature analyses potentially helpful in developing a roadmap of lean principle application to the pharmaceutical supply chain

Determining if Residual Eosin From Dehydration and Clearing Solutions Has an Effect on Immunohistochemistry

Objectives Immunohistochemistry is a diagnostic stain that gives more specificity in testing for a disease and/or condition of patient tissue. Moore Regional Hospital is on the cusp of the LEAN Principle and currently in the early stages. The histology laboratory encountered a “waiting waste” problem due to two areas of histology sharing a common instrument. It is proposed to create a protocol on the Tissue-Tek Prisma stainer specifically for running down immunohistochemistry slides using the same alcohols and xylenes within the current H&E staining protocol. Research is scarce on whether residual eosin, from the dehydrating and coverslip phase, has an effect on immunohistochemistry morphology. Materials Three trial runs were conducted using a cytokeratin immunohistochemistry control. Each trial had dependent variables of staining times, staining parameters, and the changes of alcohol and xylenes. Cytokeratin is a feasible slide to use considering time stipulations and due to its prominent positivity. The instruments used in this validation were the BenchMark Ultra and the Tissue-Tek automatic stainer. The reagents used in this validation were the DAB chromagen, Hematoxylin (Ventana), Bluing (Ventana), Xylene (Cardinal), and Alcohol (Cardinal). Results Interpretations concluded that residual eosin does not have any direct artifact or undesirable outcomes. However, minor findings were noted on how the depar solutions did affect the visual quality of the cytokeratin. Conclusions Pros and cons were discussed in terms of moving forward with this process and improving the overall quality of the histology laboratory. It was decided that the lab move forward with the process or automatically running immunoslides down in automatic stainer. The overall quality of the slides improved due to the decrease in human variability and there is time added for the IHC tech to complete other tasks.