Great Question

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Great Question offers news and information for people who make, store and move things and those who manage and maintain the facilities where that work gets done. Manufacturers from chemical producers to automakers to machine shops can gain insights into the technologies, economic conditions and best practices that can influence how to run facilities to reach operational excellence.

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Behind the Curtain

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Longtime manufacturing process engineer and trainer John Dyer discusses operational excellence and continuous improvement with Professor Mohamed Saleh, a Lean, Six Sigma and continuous improvement expert. Between them, they share nearly 60 years of continuous improvement expertise. IndustryWeek partners with Dyer and Saleh to bring their insights to manufacturing professionals.

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Behind the Curtain
If "tool worship" is part of your lean transformation, it may be in trouble. But that's not the only worrying sign to watch out for.
June 9, 2026
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Behind the Curtain
Process mapping is a powerful improvement tool—but only when it reflects reality. Too often, ego, reputation management and fear prevent teams from exposing uncomfortable truths...
June 1, 2026
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Great Question
The global contract manufacturer's chief supply chain and procurement officers discuss how they work together to shape strategy.
May 28, 2026
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Behind the Curtain
Safety is already foundational to 5S, argue the hosts of Behind the Curtain: Adventures in Continuous Improvement, who say 6S may signal a weak safety culture.
May 27, 2026
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Behind the Curtain
While 5S is a powerful lean tool, done wrong it becomes nothing more than "cosmetic theater" and fuels employee resistance.
May 18, 2026
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Great Question
In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Ben Johnston of Kapitus breaks down the rollout of the new tariff refund portal and its potential impact on manufacturers...
May 14, 2026
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Behind the Curtain
If you think problems disappear in mature lean organizations, you'd be wrong. What changes is how organizations react to those problems and how leaders' roles evolve.
May 11, 2026
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Behind the Curtain
Has your organization fallen prey to the three threats of lean maturity models? Dr. Mohamed Saleh and John Dyer discuss maturity model risks in this episode of Behind the Curtain...
May 4, 2026
Robert Schoenberger
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Great Question
Was the most interesting innovation at this year's automation fair realistic or just another fad?
April 30, 2026
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Behind the Curtain
Dr. Mohamed Saleh and John Dyer, hosts of Behind the Curtain: Adventures in Continuous Improvement, discuss why the question 'When can we say we are lean?' is so concerning if...
April 27, 2026
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Behind the Curtain
Consider standard work as a baseline for improvement, not a prison, say the hosts of Behind the Curtain: Adventures in Continuous Improvement.
April 20, 2026
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Behind the Curtain
Podcast hosts Dr. Mohamed Saleh and John Dyer continue to explore difficult questions around lean, Six Sigma and continuous improvement, focusing their attention on the belt certificati...
April 13, 2026
Bryan Croft, Simply Stamps
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Great Question
CEO Bryan Croft talks engineering challenges, exacting requirements and how many iterations it took to create the perfect rubber stamp for lunar orbit.
April 9, 2026
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Behind the Curtain
If you're talking continuous improvement and want to spark passionate debate, try this question: Which is better—lean or Six Sigma? Our podcast hosts tackle this turbulent topic...
April 6, 2026
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Behind the Curtain
One hint: It’s rarely an individual worker. Have you examined your system design lately?
March 30, 2026
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Great Question
Richard Demirjian of TCCI talks about the paradox of recent tariffs making it more advantageous to produce parts overseas.
March 27, 2026
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Great Question
Despite employing a lot of smart people, companies frequently spend hundreds of dollars in staff time on minor purchases like a $17 hammer.
March 24, 2026
Behind The Curtain/Mohamed Saleh/John Dyer
Mohamed Saleh on left speaks with John Dyer on right.
Behind the Curtain
Dive into the topic of suboptimization, or the “illusion of excellence,” which occurs when individual departments focus on improving their own metrics at the expense of the overall...
March 23, 2026
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Behind the Curtain
Delve into why organizational visions often fail and learn tactics to develop visions your workforce can embrace.
March 16, 2026
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Behind the Curtain
While 'respect for people' is a tenet many organizations claim, podcast hosts Mohamed Saleh and John Dyer delve into the truth of that statement. Does your leadership always show...
March 10, 2026
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Behind the Curtain
Podcast hosts Dr. Mohamed Saleh and John Dyer share their favorites among Dr. Deming's 14 points for management and reflect on the management guru's most controversial principles...
March 2, 2026
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Behind the Curtain
Hosts John Dyer and Dr. Mohammed Saleh discuss Dr. Deming's 14th point for management, weighing in on the importance of including every department and every layer of the workforce...
Feb. 23, 2026
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Behind the Curtain
Hosts Mohamed Saleh and John Dyer explore Dr. Deming’s 13th point for management, delving into the importance of education and how modern technologies like AI impact learning ...
Feb. 16, 2026
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Great Question
Yes, AI has a place in lean and continuous improvement, but don't jump off the deep end. Try experimentation and remember: Respect for people prevails.
Feb. 12, 2026