Kronos Announces Availability of Lean Labour Book Offering Guidance for Creating a Highly Effective Workforce

May 16, 2011 - Kronos Incorporated today announced the availability of Lean Labor: A Survival Guide for Companies Facing Global Competition. Authored by Gregg Gordon, a senior director in the Kronos® manufacturing practice group, Lean Labor is a guidebook that provides step-by-step recommendations for cultivating a highly effective workforce by adopting lean methodologies.

News Facts

Gordon's discussions with shop floor managers and manufacturing executives across the world inspired him to write a comprehensive guidebook on effective labour management to address the unique challenges of today's global manufacturers.
Through his travels and discussions, Gordon discovered that increasingly, manufacturers everywhere have access to the same raw materials, technology, and distribution. Newly industrialised countries are a double-edged sword for a manufacturer, as they represent potential new markets for products, but can also result in the entry of new, low-wage competition. Lean Labor shows how the workforce can be a primary differentiation against this growing global competition.
The fundamental premise of the book is the application of Lean principles to labour management. From minimising payroll errors, to scheduling effectively, to eliminating production losses, the book includes case studies that demonstrate how manufacturers have successfully changed the way they use labour to reduce costs, shorten lead times, and provide higher levels of service to their customers.
Lean Labor is available on Amazon.com for $24.95. The book will soon be available in e-book store libraries found on the following devices: Amazon Kindle, Apple iPad iBooks, Barnes & Noble Nook, Kobo (Borders) e-Reader, and Sony e-Reader. Lean Labor will also be available in Chinese and Spanish.

Supporting Quotes

• Gregg Gordon, senior director, manufacturing industry marketing, Kronos
  "The intellectual property developed during an employee's tenure impacts productivity, quality, and innovation. This can become a manufacturer's ongoing differentiation if the workforce is managed effectively. We are very excited with the early enthusiasm Lean Labor has received and we look forward to talking with manufacturers around the world about how to apply lean principles to labour management."
• Bob Parker, group vice president of research, IDC Manufacturing Insights
  "For manufacturing to be competitive in the mature economies…companies must have a sustained and intense focus on continuously improving operational productivity. Gregg provides the reader with a recipe for blending lean principles, six sigma consistency, and resource optimisation to meet this productivity imperative. The book forgoes a dry academic approach by including an entertaining parable and case studies..."
• Anna Wells, executive editor, Manufacturing Business Technology
  "Lean Labor has pinpointed one of the critical transformations businesses must make when it comes to managing labour: motivating cultural change through a methodical approach…it's the visibility of value-added activity that creates a bridge between knowing how your employees allocate their time throughout the day, and using it to your advantage ..."
• Caglayan Arkan, general manager, worldwide manufacturing and resources sector, Microsoft Corporation
  "Gregg has created an easily digestible vision of the role labour can play in today's global demand-driven value networks, achieving the holy grail of profitable, demand-driven manufacturing. Despite the 'Lean Labor' title, Gregg isn't afraid to tackle the thorny inconsistencies in applying Lean principles such as eliminating waste and non-value added steps, while simultaneously striving for the agility required to adapt and take advantage of today's supply and customer demand volatility ..."

Supporting Resources

Full reviews: leanlaborstrategies.com/about-book

About the author: leanlaborstrategies.com/about-author

Author's blog: leanlaborstrategies.com

Cartoon related to this topic: www.kronos.com/timewellspent/37

About Kronos Incorporated

Kronos is the global leader in workforce management solutions that enable organisations to control labour costs, minimise compliance risk, and improve workforce productivity. Tens of thousands of organisations in 60 countries — including more than half of the Fortune 1000® — use Kronos time and attendance, scheduling, absence management, HR and payroll, hiring, and labour analytics applications. To learn how Kronos uniquely delivers complete automation and high-quality information in an easy-to-use solution, visit www.kronos.com.

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Contact
Indrani Ray-Ghosal
Kronos Incorporated
+1 978.947.3042
indrani.rayghosal@kronos.com