Norman Bodek published over 100 Japanese management books in English, including the works of Taiichi Ohno and Dr. Shigeo Shingo, who helped develop the Toyota Production System (Lean). He created the Shingo Prize with Dr. Vern Beuhler at Utah State University, and was elected to Industry Week’s Manufacturing Hall of Fame.
In 1979, after working for 18 years with Data Processing companies, Norman Bodek started Productivity Inc. – Press by publishing a newsletter called PRODUCTIVITY. The tagline is “Improving Productivity and Quality Through Worker Satisfaction and Innovation.”
He has graciously given copies of these monthly newsletters to Lean Portland, as he is planning to move out of the country in late 2020.
We have digitized these documents to be able to share them, instead of leaving them stuck in a storage space collecting dust. Scroll down to find download PDF copies of the newsletters from 1980-1993.
Learn more about Norman Bodek, who still operates a publishing company PCS Press, or watch his interview with Lean Portland from Dec 2017
Want to search the newsletters? Click the “Productivity Newsletters” Google Drive folder and search within this entire folder. The PDF files were scanned using Optical Character Recognition (OCR).
1980 – Volume 1
1981 – Volume 2
January 1981- February 1981
- March 1981
April 1981- May 1981
- June 1981
- July 1981
- August 1981
- September 1981
- October 1981
- November 1981
- December 1981
1982 – Volume 3
- January 1982
- February 1982
- March 1982
- April 1982
- May 1982
- June 1982
- July 1982
- August 1982
- September 1982
- October 1982
- November 1982
- December 1982 (with Special Report on Developing Productivity Measures)
1983 – Volume 4
1984 – Volume 5
1985 – Volume 6
- January 1985
- February 1985
- March 1985
- April 1985
- May 1985
- June 1985
- July 1985
- August 1985
- September 1985
- October 1985
- November 1985
- December 1985
- 1985 Newsletter Inserts
1986 – Volume 7
- January 1986
- February 1986
- March 1986
- April 1986
- May 1986
- June 1986
- July 1986
- August 1986
- September 1986
- October 1986
- November 1986
- December 1986
Searchable Index of Newsletters 1980-1986 by Topic
1987 – Volume 8
- January 1987
- February 1987
- March 1987
- April 1987
- May 1987
- June 1987
- July 1987
- August 1987
- September 1987
- October 1987
- November 1987
- December 1987
1988 – Volume 9
- January 1988
- February 1988
- March 1988
- April 1988
- May 1988
- June 1988
- July 1988
- August 1988
- September 1988
- October 1988
- November 1988
- December 1988
1989 – Volume 10
1990 – Volume 11
- January 1990
- February 1990
- March 1990
- April 1990
- May 1990
- June 1990
- July 1990
- August 1990
- September 1990
- October 1990
- November 1990
- December 1990
1991 – Volume 12
- January 1991
- February 1991
- March 1991
- April 1991
- May 1991
- June 1991
- July 1991
- August 1991
- September 1991
- October 1991
- November 1991
- December 1991
1992 – Volume 13
- January 1992
- February 1992
- March 1992
- April 1992
- May 1992
- June 1992
- July 1992
- August 1992
- September 1992
October 1992- November 1992
- December 1992/January 1993
1993 – Volume 14
- December 1992/January 1993
- February 1993
- March 1993
- April 1993
- May 1993
- June 1993
- July/August 1993
- September 1993
- Altron uses “ISO Man” character to help with certification
- GE Supply says TQM needed in distribution, not just manufacturing
- Codman & Shurtleff use JIT and benchmarking to help with surgical instruments
- DHL focusing more on third party logistics, not just A to B transport
- Book excerpt: Toyota Management System: Linking the Seven Key Functional Areas by Yasuhiro Monden
- Survey results show link with TQM, employee empowerment and improvements
- Rhone-Poulenc Exec says management a barrier to innovation
- October 1993
- VMX Tour highlights ISO 9002 certification results
- Encore’s TQM success based on communication and recognition
- Pacific Bell focuses on supplier quality and “unusual” customer service
- Akzo Chemicals finds success with SPC program – Part 1
- STERIS brings JIT into the operating room
- Survey shows software companies lag behind high tech firms in TQM programs
- November 1993
- SPC and TQM training roll out at Northwest Hospital
- Swarovski Jewelry switches to cellular manufacturing and JIT
- Square D facility layout changes with union create cells and fewer defects
- Freudenberg-NOK promotes lean manufacturing for auto suppliers
- Akzo Chemicals finds success with SPC program – Part 2
- The need to expand JIT to automotive suppliers and dealers
