Bruce Hamilton

President, vice chair, teacher, change agent

Bruce Hamilton, president of the Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership (GBMP), brings hands-on experience as a manager, teacher, and change agent. Prior to GBMP, Hamilton led efforts to transform United Electric Controls Co.’s production from a traditional batch factory to a single-piece-flow environment that has become an international showcase. Hamilton has spoken internationally on lean manufacturing, employee involvement, continuous improvement, and implementing change. Also, he has contributed to numerous texts ranging from visual control to variety reduction. Hamilton’s blog, Old Lean Dude, is an ongoing reflection on lean philosophy and practices, with an emphasis on keeping good jobs close to home.

Thu, 10/09/2025 - 12:02
Casche Bay Mura Sometimes expecting employees to keep paddling is unrealisic in heavy seas
Wed, 08/22/2012 - 16:51
I went canoeing last week with my 13-year-old son, Ben, on the boundary lakes between Minnesota and Ontario. Away from phones, radios, and any other means to communicate with the outside world, we focused on the strenuous, but relaxing, journey…
WIP It When work is produced before it’s needed, it’s not really work but overproduction
Mon, 07/30/2012 - 14:31
Referred to either as “work in process” or “work in progress” (I think they’re the same thing), WIP is one of those manufacturing concepts that’s designed to confuse. ADVERTISEMENT
First, it’s…
Big Heaping Piles of... Work If your work comes in waves or batches, maybe you need to fix your process
Thu, 06/28/2012 - 15:30
When I was in production, we used the term “waves” to describe the ebb and flow of work to the factory. Some days there would be very little, and others a big heaping pile. When the waves came, we worked overtime, bumped queues, and sometimes used…
What Is Advanced Manufacturing? Let’s hope it’s not agile manufacturing
Fri, 06/08/2012 - 12:52
I am looking for some help to answer this question: What is advanced manufacturing? Seeking illumination, I recently attended a presentation offered through the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT), a nonprofit corporation with a…
What Does 3P Stand For? Perhaps ‘6P’ is more fitting
Tue, 04/24/2012 - 10:36
3P, or “Production Preparation Process,” is a method introduced to the United States during the mid-1980s by Chihiro Nakao, a contemporary of Taiichi Ohno, and a founder of the consulting firm Shingijutsu Ltd. I recall the method was called “New…
John’s Box Underutilized talent is major muda
Tue, 03/27/2012 - 10:35
Some years back while working in an administrative department, I encountered a curious condition. Along with about a half-dozen employees, I was following the information flow from sales order to shipping. Our spaghetti diagram kept looping back to…
Airplane The continuing saga
Thu, 03/08/2012 - 11:00
I think there are no new airplane stories left for those of us who take to the not-always-friendly skies, but having been on one of those super delay specials recently and coincidentally not caring especially about being hours late (I had booked a…
Signs Work standards, or mental clutter?
Mon, 02/13/2012 - 10:33
Do you remember a post-hippie-era song called “Signs?” The song’s refrain came to mind recently during a workplace walkthrough. “Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind
Do this, don’t do that, can’t…
Cost Subtraction Find it through many small improvements
Wed, 02/01/2012 - 11:57
Last week, a drive by a 99¢ Store (see photo) reminded me of my first real job in an industrial marketing department. During the 1970s, one function of this department was to set prices, a task simplified in the early going by the market’s…
5S First? Always do what you should do, not what you can do
Mon, 01/16/2012 - 12:20
Some time ago, while speaking at a conference in the land down under, I was taken to task by a participant for suggesting, “5S is usually the first improvement” in lean implementation. I had carelessly adopted this posture because, as a consultant,…