| | Abstract: | Lowell O. Mellen (1897-1993) was a business consultant in Cleveland, Ohio, who pioneered the training techniques of Training Within Industry (TWI) as a representative of the War Manpower Commission in the Northern District of Ohio during World War II. After the war, he was recruited by General Douglas MacArthur to train supervisors and workers in Japan in the techniques of Training Within Industry in order to quickly stabilize the Japanese economy by making its industrial base more efficient. Mellen's company, Training Within Industry, Inc., trained over one million supervisors and workers in Japan. Mellen's training programs in job instruction, job methods, job relations, problem solving, and job safety are credited as the foundation for industrial programs that stress continuous improvement and lean management. The collection consists of agreements, budgets, bulletins, certificates, contracts, correspondence, forms, histories, index card files, lists, manuals, notes, program descriptions, proposals, publications, reports, studies, training materials, and vouchers. | |
