Jimmy L. Smith

Jimmy L. (Jim) Smith is quality division manager at the Caterpillar Inc. Mossville Engine Center (Mossville, IL). He also serves the Large Power Services Division as director of quality support. For more information, e-mail smith_jim_l@cat.com.
Articles

ARTICLES

Portrait of a black female engineer technician smiling, wearing a hard hat and holding a clipboard in a warehouse packaging factory.
Face of Quality | Jim L. Smith

Focus on Process Cycle Time to Save Time and Money

Focus on time.
Jimmy L. Smith
April 12, 2025

The phrase "time is money," often attributed to Benjamin Franklin, originally appeared in his 1748 essay "Advice to a Young Tradesman" as "Remember that time is money." This concept highlights how critical business processes can create bottlenecks that negatively impact efficiency and capacity limits.


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Angry engineer boss scolding young engineers for their mistake standing in the CNC manufacturing factory. Negative boss yelling employee during work. Man standing and feeling bad. Industrial concept.
Face of Quality | Jim L. Smith

Manage Conflict More Effectively

Don't avoid confrontation, deal with it constructively.
Jimmy L. Smith
March 19, 2024

In the early stages of my career, conflict resolution was direct and forceful, often involving blunt criticism and harsh language. However, a key learning experience came when my manager confronted me about a mistake, followed by supportive dialogue, teaching me the value of constructive criticism.


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Face of Quality: Big Q vs. Little Q

Jimmy L. Smith
September 29, 2009
Should an organization focus on continual improvement or aim for the home run? As a follower of Dr. Joseph M. Juran, I see the value and power of his philosophies. Juran displayed his concept of continuous improvement gained through hundreds of projects with his spiral of progress in quality.
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Face of Quality: Wage War on Waste

Jimmy L. Smith
April 29, 2009
The quality profession has provided guidance that has helped businesses trim billions of dollars in waste using various improvement processes and training. More is needed, however, from quality leaders as well as business leaders.
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A Recipe for Effective Leadership

Jimmy L. Smith
November 24, 2008
All good leaders are not cast from the same mold. This is evident when we study those who have demonstrated good leadership. We might say that each is a good leader with certain characteristics that make them so, yet when we compare those characteristics with the characteristics of other good leaders we might discover that instead of a set pattern there is a wide range of characteristics-both in nature and intensity.
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