Visit a Live Lean Manufacturing Facility in Ireland
Experience how 2 Second Lean, behavioural standards, and flow-based thinking operate across both manufacturing and office functions inside ATC Group’s 30+-year engineering business in Shannon.
This is not a classroom workshop. It is a guided visit inside a live engineering company serving regulated industries.
You will participate in a morning meeting, see visual management, hear about daily 3S routines, our stop-and-fix discipline, modular flow-based layouts, and how we have automated non-value-add office activities to improve speed, accuracy, and responsiveness.
What Is the ATC Lean Tour?
The ATC Lean Tour is a structured, on-site operational excellence experience inside Advanced Technical Concepts (ATC Group) in Shannon, Ireland. It is designed for operations leaders, Lean practitioners, engineers, and business owners who want to see how 2 Second Lean is embedded across manufacturing, office, and leadership routines in a live engineering business. Attendees leave with practical ideas to improve flow, ownership, and operational performance in their own organisations.
Who Should Attend?
• Operations leaders responsible for performance and flow
• Lean practitioners and Black Belt students
• SME owners building a continuous improvement culture
• Leadership teams exploring behaviour-led operational excellence
Private Executive Lean Visits
In addition to scheduled group tours, we offer private executive visits for leadership teams who want a deeper discussion around operational performance, culture, and systems design.
These sessions allow time to explore your specific challenges and discuss how Lean principles can be applied within your organisation.
To enquire about a private visit, contact [email protected]
Lean Beyond the Factory Floor
Lean at ATC is applied to information flow as rigorously as material flow.
During the tour, you will see how we have:
• Implemented a digital Design Configurator to reduce back-and-forth and shorten response time
• Automated internal workflows to eliminate repetitive administrative tasks
• Embedded disciplined CRM processes to improve pipeline visibility and follow-up
• Built live KPI dashboards to make performance transparent across teams
• Reduced manual data entry through system integration and standardisation
• Automated accounts workflows to shorten billing cycles and reduce friction
The result is faster response times, fewer errors, improved coordination between office and production, and stronger commercial control.
Our Lean Journey at ATC
Our early Lean efforts focused heavily on tools. Progress was limited.
The turning point came when we simplified. We embedded daily morning meetings and 3S (Sort, Sweep, Standardise) as non-negotiable routines across the business. Every team member now identifies at least three improvements per week. The emphasis shifted from complexity to behaviour.
Instead of managing Lean as a project, we made it part of how we work.
Today, improvement is visible and shared. We use physical Improvement Boards and a dedicated internal channel to spread ideas across teams in the spirit of Yokoten, best practice sharing. If one area improves something, others can adopt and refine it.
To sustain standards, we implemented GembaDocs after multiple failed attempts with static SOP templates. This allows us to maintain live, accessible, digital standards that evolve with the business rather than sit unused.
Lean at ATC is not about isolated tools. It is about daily discipline, shared ownership, and practical systems that support both manufacturing and office flow.
You will experience these systems and behaviours operating live during your visit.
“Lean isn’t lean if it doesn’t involve everyone.”
John Shook,
E-Letter:Lean Practice Applies to All Work, Everyone, Every Day, All Day
Videos of Some Visits to ATC
Book a Tour
Complete the form to request your preferred date.
Our team will confirm availability and provide next steps.
Tour Start time: 09:30am
Tour Finish time: 12:30pm
Depending on group numbers, potentially there may be another company touring at the same time. There will be no more than 12 people touring at one time.
What you can expect to experience
Welcome
Attend our Morning Meeting
Discussion Session: Culture Building & Behaviours
Guided Office Tour: Accounts and Office
Guided Shop Floor Tour: Production Areas and Stores
Closing Session
PPE Requirements
Hi Vis vest: will be provided.
Safety glasses: general safety glasses will be provided.
Safety shoes: Ideal or at a minimum flat shoes.
Investment
€195.00 + VAT
As part of our ‘Paying It Forward’ philosophy, the proceeds from tours are directed towards:
Our Team: Supporting the team responsible for delivering exceptional service and operational standards.
Our Local Community incl. Local Charities: Providing financial assistance to charities and organisations that serve community needs.
What Previous Attendees Said
“Emphasis on people. Exactly right.”
“Loved the back office – appraisals, communication, it’s all joined up and dialed in.”
“Really loved the tour and seeing how you empower your teams to love lean.”
“The culture you have built (well done).”
“Excellent visual management.”
“You are a lean leader.”
“Really appreciate how openly you shared and how graciously you speak about your teams.”
“Really impressed with the people and the tour. You could tell everyone was very open and honest. Would highly recommend.”
Frequent Questions
Lean methodology is a systematic approach to eliminating waste, improving processes, and increasing value for customers by fostering continuous improvement and involving all employees in problem-solving.
A strong culture of continuous learning, openness, and shared problem-solving is vital for sustaining Lean practices and adapting to changing market conditions effectively.
Common Lean tools include 3S (Sort, Sweep, Standardize), visual management boards, morning meetings, and the concept of Yokoten for sharing best practices across teams.
Operations leaders, Lean practitioners, SME owners, and teams serious about building a continuous improvement culture.
The tours include a morning meeting, discussions on culture building and behaviors, guided visits to the office and production areas, and a closing session. Tours start at 09:30 am and end around 12:30 pm.
At ATC Group, Lean extends beyond manufacturing. We have digitised a design bottleneck through a design configurator, automated repetitive workflows, embedded CRM discipline, reduced manual data entry, and implemented KPI dashboards to improve visibility and decision-making. Administrative and accounts processes are structured to remove non-value-add activity and support production flow.
The tour costs €195 plus VAT (€239.85 including VAT). Proceeds support the team delivering excellent service, local community initiatives, and charities, aligning with their 'Paying It Forward' philosophy.
Tours run from 09:30am to 12:30pm.
Flat shoes at minimum. Safety glasses and high-visibility vests are provided.
Yes. Group tours may include attendees from multiple organisations. Participation is capped at 12 people per session.
No. It is a guided operational walk-through of a live manufacturing and office environment.