The History of the Term "Lean": a Conversation with Jim Womack and John Krafcik

WLEI - Lean Enterprise Institute's Podcast

In this episode of the WLEI podcast, Jim Womack and John Krafcik share the origin story of the term "lean." Jim led the MIT global benchmarking study of the automotive industry, which led to the seminal book The Machine That Changed the World, and John was one of the principal researchers. Jim went on to co-author a similarly influential book, Lean Thinking, and founded the Lean Enterprise Institute. John Krafcik became an executive in the auto industry, serving as CEO of Hyundai America and Waymo. The discussion closes by turning from the past to the future with updates on Waymo's autonomous driving technology.

This conversation took place at LEI's Lean Summit in March 2024.

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