Ohno! Lean Science Fiction? New Novel Focuses on Lean and ISO 9001

July 23, 2008
Looking for a book to take to the beach this summer?  How about a novel about ISO 9001? Well, if it's not a riveting page-turner, at least it could be a safer alternative to Ambien or other pharmaceutical sleep aids.  Instead of sleep-walking, binging on candy or driving in your sleep, you'd intone Toyota precepts and chapter and verse from ISO to your sleeping family members or friends, so no one would get hurt. But, all kidding aside, its authors deserve praise simply for attempting to maintain "fast pace and humorous dialogue" in a book addressing ISO....I suspect that the hard core Lean afficionados will rush to get their hands on this book.  We promise to get an advance copy and let you know how the authors succeeded with their seemingly impossible challenge. The Society of Manufacturing Engineers announces the release of a new novel, LEAN 9001: Battle for the Arctic Rose, a compelling science fiction story that contrasts differing approaches to implementing Lean and ISO 9001. Set in the year 7278, readers will identify with the book's vying characters,Mark Alexander, general manager of the Arctic Rose Company and his fierce cut-throat competitor, Damar Iratus, vice president of operations, Krote Corporation. Through an intertwined plot, readers will be the judge as the two apply divergent approaches to achieving quality and customer satisfaction. Spies, security forces, consultants, suppliers, and pirates are also among the cast of characters who are in search of the most valuable plant in the universe – the Arctic Rose tree. Anyone involved with integrating quality management systems and lean will enjoy this story as told by authors John Guderian and Timothy Renaud. Its fast pace and often humorous dialogue will captivate and engage readers asthey uncover how ISO 9001 and Lean techniques can actually complement one another. Thought provoking, the novel also begs the questions: How do you see your company? Which path will you take? How can bureaucracy and non-value added activities be removed from your daily work? The foreword written by Peter E. Teti, technical fellow, quality engineering at Hamilton Sundstrand, United Technologies Corporation says, "Quality is the Lean enabler. . . Lean is all about creating value for the customer. One key learning you'll discover as you read this story is that procedures alone, although important, do not necessarily represent what the customer values . . . A strong upfront design for quality process will 'vaccinate' the value stream against long-term diseases and reduce the risk of warrantyclaims, customer returns, and field failures . . . To truly achieve the customer's perspective on what value is, a company must first have a rock-solid quality system in place. Only then can the full benefits of Lean be realized." Lean 9001 is being released just in time for summer reading and has already received positive reviews from manufacturers and lean practitioners.As ATS Automation Tooling Systems Senior Machine Tool Builder andIntegrator Peter Schnurr explains, "Lean 9001: Battle for the Arctic Rose is an exciting story that kept me wanting to read on. It was helpful to actually follow an ISO 9001/Lean implementation and see a parallel example of an improper implementation. I recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn about the synergies of applying ISO 9001 and Lean." NCR Canada, Ltd. quality auditor and ISO coordinator David B. Wilson adds, "Reading this novel will provide a fantastic kick-start for auditors or anyone leading or participating in process improvement activities. Well-written, it uses a futuristic setting to illustrate how ISO 9001 and Lean principles complement one another. It's a good, fun read…" And as NovAtel, Inc. Director of Quality, Dan McGonigal best sums up LEAN 9001, "I thoroughly enjoyed the story. It is an interesting and effective way to learn the basics of ISO 9001 and Lean methodology." About the Authors: John Guderian received his bachelor's of applied science in mechanical engineering from the University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada) in 1986. He is a Certified Quality Engineer (American Society for Quality) and a licensed Professional Engineer. He has worked for Raytheon Canada as a six sigma expert. In 2003, he joined Delta Elevator Company Ltd. (Kitchener, Ontario, Canada) as its vice president of manufacturing. There he and his colleagues have successfully integrated Lean manufacturing and ISO 9001 concepts to produce a highly efficient company with an outstanding product. Additionally, he has taught college courses on quality assurance and assisted many organizations in their efforts to implement Lean strategies and achieve ISO 9001 registration. Timothy Renaud received his bachelor's of applied science in engineering degree from the University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada) in 1981. He is also a licensed Professional Engineer. Renaud's business experience spans over 20 years consulting and working for both small and large organizations. As a principal partner with the ISO Support Group (Guelph, Ontario, Canada) and a primary auditor, trainer, and consultant, he has served such diverse clients as John Deere, Huntsman and Georgia-Pacific by helping them to streamline their processes and maintain their ISO registrations. He has also authored and self-published the e-book, The Three Biggest Mistakes People Make with ISO 9001 as well as published hundreds of articles on a diverse range of business topics. To purchase, call 800-733-4763. Outside the U.S., please call 313-425-3000, ext. 4500.
Looking for a book to take to the beach this summer?  How about a novel about ISO 9001? Well, if it's not a riveting page-turner, at least it could be a safer alternative to Ambien or other pharmaceutical sleep aids.  Instead of sleep-walking, binging on candy or driving in your sleep, you'd intone Toyota precepts and chapter and verse from ISO to your sleeping family members or friends, so no one would get hurt. But, all kidding aside, its authors deserve praise simply for attempting to maintain "fast pace and humorous dialogue" in a book addressing ISO....I suspect that the hard core Lean afficionados will rush to get their hands on this book.  We promise to get an advance copy and let you know how the authors succeeded with their seemingly impossible challenge. The Society of Manufacturing Engineers announces the release of a new novel, LEAN 9001: Battle for the Arctic Rose, a compelling science fiction story that contrasts differing approaches to implementing Lean and ISO 9001.Set in the year 7278, readers will identify with the book's vying characters,Mark Alexander, general manager of the Arctic Rose Company and his fierce cut-throat competitor, Damar Iratus, vice president of operations, Krote Corporation. Through an intertwined plot, readers will be the judge as the two apply divergent approaches to achieving quality and customer satisfaction.Spies, security forces, consultants, suppliers, and pirates are also among the cast of characters who are in search of the most valuable plant in the universe – the Arctic Rose tree.Anyone involved with integrating quality management systems and lean will enjoy this story as told by authors John Guderian and Timothy Renaud. Its fast pace and often humorous dialogue will captivate and engage readers asthey uncover how ISO 9001 and Lean techniques can actually complement one another. Thought provoking, the novel also begs the questions: How do you see your company? Which path will you take? How can bureaucracy and non-value added activities be removed from your daily work?The foreword written by Peter E. Teti, technical fellow, quality engineering at Hamilton Sundstrand, United Technologies Corporation says, "Quality is the Lean enabler. . . Lean is all about creating value for the customer. One key learning you'll discover as you read this story is that procedures alone, although important, do not necessarily represent what the customer values . . . A strong upfront design for quality process will 'vaccinate' the value stream against long-term diseases and reduce the risk of warrantyclaims, customer returns, and field failures . . . To truly achieve the customer's perspective on what value is, a company must first have a rock-solid quality system in place. Only then can the full benefits of Lean be realized."Lean 9001 is being released just in time for summer reading and has already received positive reviews from manufacturers and lean practitioners.As ATS Automation Tooling Systems Senior Machine Tool Builder andIntegrator Peter Schnurr explains, "Lean 9001: Battle for the Arctic Rose is an exciting story that kept me wanting to read on. It was helpful to actually follow an ISO 9001/Lean implementation and see a parallel example of an improper implementation. I recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn about the synergies of applying ISO 9001 and Lean."NCR Canada, Ltd. quality auditor and ISO coordinator David B. Wilson adds, "Reading this novel will provide a fantastic kick-start for auditors or anyone leading or participating in process improvement activities. Well-written, it uses a futuristic setting to illustrate how ISO 9001 and Lean principles complement one another. It's a good, fun read…"And as NovAtel, Inc. Director of Quality, Dan McGonigal best sums up LEAN 9001, "I thoroughly enjoyed the story. It is an interesting and effective way to learn the basics of ISO 9001 and Lean methodology."About the Authors:John Guderian received his bachelor's of applied science in mechanical engineering from the University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada) in 1986. He is a Certified Quality Engineer (American Society for Quality) and a licensed Professional Engineer. He has worked for Raytheon Canada as a six sigma expert. In 2003, he joined Delta Elevator Company Ltd. (Kitchener, Ontario, Canada) as its vice president of manufacturing. There he and his colleagues have successfully integrated Lean manufacturing and ISO 9001 concepts to produce a highly efficient company with an outstanding product. Additionally, he has taught college courses on quality assurance and assisted many organizations in their efforts to implement Lean strategies and achieve ISO 9001 registration.Timothy Renaud received his bachelor's of applied science in engineering degree from the University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada) in 1981. He is also a licensed Professional Engineer. Renaud's business experience spans over 20 years consulting and working for both small and large organizations. As a principal partner with the ISO Support Group (Guelph, Ontario, Canada) and a primary auditor, trainer, and consultant, he has served such diverse clients as John Deere, Huntsman and Georgia-Pacific by helping them to streamline their processes and maintain their ISO registrations. He has also authored and self-published the e-book, The Three Biggest Mistakes People Make with ISO 9001 as well as published hundreds of articles on a diverse range of business topics.To purchase, call 800-733-4763. Outside the U.S., please call 313-425-3000, ext. 4500.
About the Author

pharmamanufacturing | pharmamanufacturing