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[quote user="SilverSpike"] <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:date Year="2006" Day="25" Month="7">Tuesday, July 25, 2006</st1:date> IndySon, glad to have you with us in the CS, and yes, it is a great place to chat. I keep a running journal in MS Word of all my entries, and reflect back on them often. We are only about a four hour drive to <st1:place><st1:City>Roanoke</st1:City>, <st1:State>VA</st1:State></st1:place> and I have that museum on my “to do” trip list someday. It looks like a great place to visit. Hey, I think one of my ole elementary school friends lives in <st1:place><st1:City>Waynesboro</st1:City>, <st1:State>VA</st1:State></st1:place>! BTW, what is “Lean Manufacturing”? Cheers, Ryan [/quote] Well Silverspike, "Lean Manufacturing" is what we used to call "common sense" in the good old days, but now some brilliant college grads have captured yet another way to shake down the government and all it's suppliers with a new fad.  Mind you, I am a college grad with 26 years experience in manufacturing, quality, engineering and business management...so maybe I'm not too smart and need Uncle Sam and his cohorts to tell me how to better run a business (since they are the experts on efficiency, operating within a budget, on time delivery, and customer satisfaction).  Lean Manufacturing, in it's simplist form, is manufacturing with no non-value added activity...i.e., no unnecessary material, labor, movement or time waste.  Everything must add value to the product or service.  Problem is, when you work under contract directly for the federal or state government, and they require you "subscribe" to their Lean Program to participate in their job awards, well, they don't exactly encourage the elimination of non-value added activities because by their very nature, via contract requirements, they force waste.  I know I sound sour to it all, but I'm not.  There are tidbits of helpful info in the Lean doctrine, but for the most part, private business is much more "lean" than the agencies who cram it down our throats.  I think the biggest joke is whne you must feign wonder at the "helpful suggestions" <sarcasm> your customer makes in how to improve your business while trying to determine your level of buy-in to the program.  So much wasted time and resources.  Makes you want to cry.  What ever happened to just buying from good manufacturers who give you a quality product at the best prices, and just stop buying from shoddy suppliers/service providers (i.e., common sense). As for the Transportation museum at Roanoke, when I return from my trip this week, if you want, I can send you some pictures I took while I toured the place.  It was worth the 1 hr 45 min drive for me.  I think you will enjoy it, but try to go in the fall or spring when it's not so hot.  When I stood in that GG1 cab, I was cooking.  All the trains are outside, but some are under roof.  They also have cars, trucks, and carriages & wagons.  You know you're in the south when you turn the corner to see the back side of a diesel loco and come foot to stream with a 4 yr old taking a pee behind the exhibits...LOL.  When you gotta go, you gotta go. My next Harley excursion is to Cass in WV.  Haven't been there yet.  On my list for this summer. For all you model railroaders out there, what's the best railroad exhibit, museum or excursion train you've ever experienced?  I've been to the Colorado & Pennsylvannia state railroad museums, rode on the Idaville RR  (MA), Strasburg (PA) and Georgetown Loop (CO) railroads, rode the ICE train from Oceanside to San Diego during a demonstration in the early 90's, rode the Coaster and Metrolink as a commuter in CA, and routinely experienced the subways in Boston & DC.  I think the Georgetown Loop ranked highest for me...wow, what a feeling when you are in the middle of the trestle and can see both ends of the train easily on the loop, with mountain goats dotting the steep landscape all around you.  I'll never forget that. Take care, all. IndySon
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