Leaning Out with Dr. Chris

Send us Fan Mail I just met John in March of 2026.  He has done some pretty cool things since March with going from Batch to One-Piece, facility change and material movement.  This is a good one!

Send us Fan Mail What a great conversation with a colleague of ours from the early 2000's.  Jim is an excellent lean leader implementing in many global roles over the years.  Join us for this conversation discussing his experience and the importance of the PFEP.

Send us Fan Mail Continuing the discussion from the last episode on the elimination of floor lifts from the production floor, this episodes dives into an important part of the system, the INFORMATION.  Running a route without information is like running the route blind.  In this information Chris talks about why the pull signals are so important while also giving a book recommendation.

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I attempt to provide better clarity as to why forklifts should be restricted to the shipping and receiving areas.  hint:  It is not only for safety!

Send us Fan Mail Chris has experience implementing in 2 very different industries, not to mention his entrepreneurial efforts.  He is a neat guy, I think you will enjoy this one!

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we catch up with Keith Lang.  We have worked together about 20 years, through 4 different companies.  Keith is a great leader and a very successful one in implementing lean production systems.  He has great insight  and some good stories!

Send us Fan Mail We are back!  Leaning out with Dr. Chris is back on a monthly cadence!   Here is the first episode of 2026.  It's been awhile, and it's good to be back!

Send us Fan Mail I get to talk with an old friend today from the Toro Company, Matt Colby.   We have worked together a long time and he shares his insights on implementing the 12 steps, and capitalizing on new talent!

Send us Fan Mail Join me for a discussion on an overall machine health plan.  We talk about proactive maintenance, preventative maintenance, reactive maintenance, SMED, and machine optimization in an era when people are scarce!

Send us Fan Mail WE ARE BACK!!! Take a listen to the first episode of the third season with Chris Hacker, the COO of Alcom Trailers!  This is a good one, you can hear Chris's take on lead time compression and you may even learn a little about Bird Dogs!

Send us Fan Mail Things are changing in the Harris household!  Dr. Chris Harris has accepted the position of Dean at the University of Pikeville Coleman College of Business.  In this episode, Dr. Harris talks with the President of the University Dr. Burton Webb and the Provost Dr. Lori Werth about how a College of Business can partner with organizations for win-win outcomes. 

Send us Fan Mail Join us early  for the April edition of "Leaning Out With Dr. Chris"!   Heather Lindell Klish is our guest this month.  Heather discusses how the 12-step approach has assisted her in multiple successes across multiple organizations in the automotive industry.  Heather is an accomplished executive and we think you will enjoy listening to her stories!

Send us Fan Mail Join us on this month's podcast as we talk to Dr. Jason Hunt, an orthopedic surgeon, to find out how he is transforming the way golfers approach wellness and how his methods can be used for overall employee health and wellness.  Also, can this approach help corporations address the labor shortage by creating employee retention?  We need to approach the labor issue differently...

Send us Fan Mail This is a great podcast! I talk with my brother, Andrew Harris MD, who is a surgeon and doing a lot with continuous improvement systematic thinking.  I learned a lot in this episode!  It is sometimes good to get out of your industry and listen to how someone in another industry is being successful, implementing a lean enterprise system!!

Send us Fan Mail Join this episode as Shannon Karles and Kathy Miller discuss their journey to writing the book Steel Toes  and Stilettos.  Both Shannon and Kathy are long time friends of Harris Lean Systems and convey how their lean journey and experiences have led to this point.  You should listen to this one!

Send us Fan Mail Chris Harris goes solo on this podcast to introduce Season 2 and discuss 3 things that companies should focus on to get better today, tomorrow, and forever.  Take a listen.

Send us Fan Mail What happens when a Tornado goes through the middle of your facility?  Is there anyway it could be a positive?  Beau May discusses the journey of Dayton-Phoenix through a few significant challenges and how the team in Dayton not only survived, but thrived in a really unbelievable situation!  

Send us Fan Mail On this week's episode, we dive into understanding the customer with a different take.  We talk with Cody Andreychuck, the head baseball coach and the University of Pikeville about how he designs his program around adding value to his 5 customers.  Step out of the manufacturing world for a bit and listen about  understanding customer value from a very different perspective!

Send us Fan Mail Join Doug Moye and I on this episode as we discuss our journey of working together through the 12-step process.  Doug has some insights from a plant manager point-of-view concerning Making Materials Flow and safety, container size, and personally running the route!  We think you will enjoy it!

Send us Fan Mail Why is the pacemaker the area where all lean implementation efforts should begin? What is a pacemaker, in a lean value stream?  Why is the pacemaker so important?  Is the pacemaker the same as a bottleneck or constraint?  These are questions that Dr. Chris (and his wife?) answer in this episode.  

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Dr. Chris has Greg Goode on to discuss the importance of the 8th step: "Run the Route".  Though a simple sentence, running a timed delivery route in a manufacturing facility to effectively and efficiently deliver material to the fingertips of the operator is no easy task.  

Send us Fan Mail In this introductory episode Dr. Chris introduces the podcast.  He goes through the twelve steps to successful implementation indicating many Lean implementations are done incorrectly.   The reason being they only focus on pockets of improvement, and not true systematic change.   Dr. Chris introduces himself, the purpose of the podcast, the format moving forward, and the first gue...