Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement is a program offered by The Lean Institute, within the Leader Essentials series of business leadership and improvement programs. View the program outline.

Lean manufacturing training and implementation offers companies an internationally proven method to increase productivity, reduce costs, eliminate waste, increase product and service quality and improve workforce moral and retention.

Implementing Lean manufacturing principles, tools and models helps companies prepare themselves to swiftly take advantage of opportunities other companies cannot. When market conditions are positive, Lean companies can quickly increase productivity without overburdening existing processes, equipment or people. When there is a downturn in the economy, Lean training and methods help eliminate costly waste, and improve processes through continuous improvement (kaizen) without forcing companies to reduce their workforce.

While Lean is a proven system that is often thought of in regards to manufacturing, it is also making a positive impact in service industries and in many healthcare organizations and education institutions.

Focus on Productivity

Lean training and implementation focuses on productivity techniques, tools and systems so that non-value adding wastes are identified and eliminated in a timely and cost effective manner. This reduces overall costs to organizations, improves the flow of work being done, and allows companies to focus on the processes and activities that add value to their products or services for their customers.

Lean training enables companies to focus on processes and activities that allow customers to “pull” work through your processes. This leads to just-in-time (JIT) production where only the products or services required are produced when they need to be. World-class organizations are taking advantage of Lean to reduce excess inventory, reduce delivery timelines and effectively manage workloads on workers and staff all while reducing cost.

Applying Lean principles has proven to improve efficiency as well as quality in the manufacturing and service industries. The following figures represent average results of companies of varying size in the United Kingdom*, in many differing industries, once they have implemented Lean concepts and tools in their operations over a consistent time period:

  • Increased on-time delivery (+26%)
  • Increased stock turns (+33%)
  • Increase in productivity levels (+25%)
  • Reduction of scrap (-26%)
  • Reduction of space (-33%)

Companies learning about Lean manufacturing will be exposed to a number of process improvement tools and techniques including:

  • How to identify and tackle the “9 common wastes”
  • Identifying value and non-value added activities using value stream and processes maps
  • Scheduled preventive maintenance
  • How to design and implement Just-in-Time processes
  • Lean leadership and how to build effective teams
  • “5S” for your plants and offices
  • Visual management
  • Standardized work and operating procedures
  • Planning and executing Kaizen events
  • Listening to the voice of your customer
  • Collecting data and how to prove your Lean plan is benefiting the organization
  • Building a process improvement culture
  • Retaining your workforce through empowerment, rewards and recognition
  • Lean audits and managing your lean journey

View the program outline.

* Manufacturing Advisory Service, U.K., Annual Report 2013