Consultant Ortiz provides a step-by-step guide to getting assembly lines operating at maximum potential, starting with explaining the creation of a governing committee and the importance of upper management's commitment to change, the selection of a Kaizen team, the tracking system and periodic meetings. He explains how Kaizen reduces overproduction, wait time, transportation, over-processing, inventory, motion and defects/rejects, and how it applies to business metrics and visual management. Using an example, he describes a Kaizen event from four weeks ahead to the first through fifth days of implementation, giving procedures, forms, agendas of meetings, and pitfalls to avoid. He then covers areas of training and accountability and ways to move forward with more events. He closes with a case study, including a description of the line six moths after implementation. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)