Toyota’s Lean Production Methods Help Build Homes for Displaced Katrina Victims
http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43002

Since Toyota came on board, St. Bernard Project has seen the following results:
– Time it takes to rebuild a home has dropped from an average of 116 days to 60 days – a 48 percent improvement.
– Amount of houses being rebuilt per month has jumped from 8.6 to 12.8.
– Improved processes: the collaboration has consisted of sharing TPS know-how and working closely with St. Bernard Project’s professional staff, skilled construction supervisors and AmeriCorps members to improve homebuilding efficiencies.

One challenge was to develop a better way to schedule the hundreds of volunteers and construction contractors who work on the houses. While there was no organized system before, today, as you enter St. Bernard Project’s headquarters, “management boards” track everything from volunteer/worker schedules to inventory to status reports on homes being rebuilt.