ABSTRACT
In the traditional or Mass Production days – before the concepts of Lean Production were exposed in the book The Machine that Change the World, by Womack, Jones and Roos in 1990 – we had leading hands or line specialists who tended to be the best operator in the area that others would go to for assistance. They were typically responsible for ensuring the set-ups or changeovers were done properly and spent most of their other time operating the plant or showing new operators how to operate the plant. In recognition, they were paid more than an operator and were often given first preference for overtime.
