“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
Our Lean Journey
Some years ago we engaged on our Lean journey but only had marginal success. In many ways the tools were too complicated for a small business such as ours. This all changed when we started embracing morning meetings and 3S (Sort, Sweep & Standardise) as part of our daily routines. These meetings mean that all our team now have a deeper understanding of non-value add activities and with everyone now involved in finding 3 improvements weekly our workplace has developed a problem-solving culture where everyone strives to ‘fix what bugs them’ and/or ‘leave it better than they found it’.
We are mindful that Lean is a journey, not a destination, and we are committed to fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement. Our daily routines whether they be our morning meetings, our 3S time, external benchmarking all contribute to ensuring the long-term sustainability of our Continuous Improvement practices and no doubt our ability to adapt to changing market conditions and customer needs.
To drive and track our continuous improvement initiatives, we leverage visual management tools like our “Improvement Board” and a dedicated WhatsApp channel where our team share their improvements in the spirit of ‘Yokoten’ (Japanese for ‘best practice sharing’) so that if one team member sees an improvement in one area that might apply to their area they can implement and possibly ‘improve on an improvement’. This has helped foster a culture of shared learning and problem-solving across the business.
To sustain standards, we have adopted GembaDocs after failing on many occasions with different formats and templates of Standard Operating Procedures that were not user-friendly. This online platform allows for multiple users and is a leap into the digital space with Lean.
You get to see all of this in action on a tour.
Book a Tour
for any queries regarding tour dates and pricing.
Itinerary
9.30am Meet Tour Hosts
9.45am Join all our Team for our Morning Meeting
10.00am Introduction & Discussion
10.20am Office & Factory Tour where our team will show how they have implemented lean in their areas
11.30am Refreshments, Discussion & Key Takeaways
12.00 Tour Ends
Cost
195 EUR + VAT per person. For more than 5 participants, please contact us.
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: Enhancing community relations and development through various initiatives.
Local Charities & Organizations: Providing financial assistance and resources to charities that serve community needs.
Our Journey Photos
Feedback
- What was your favourite experience or moment of truth?
“Hearing the various staff talk so well on their areas and continuous improvement” - What was your biggest takeaway from the tour?
“Ah so many, leadership, persistence, engagement, behaviours. I’d say leadership behaviours – respect, humility, listening.” - How did this Tour impact your perception of our company?
“Further enhanced.” - Please share any additional comments, thoughts, suggestions:
“Keep up the good work especially engaging and listening. Part of this communication is dashboards and a visible daily production indicator – are we on target or not.”
- What was your favourite experience or moment of truth?
“Production area.” - What was your biggest takeaway from the tour?
“Organisation of products and flow.” - How did this Tour impact your perception of our company?
“Positively.” - Please share any additional comments, thoughts, suggestions:
“Great presentation of what you do as a company and lean steps.”
- What was your favourite experience or moment of truth?
“Morning meeting. Good engagement from all.” - What was your biggest takeaway from the tour?
“Emphasis on people. Exactly right.” - How did this Tour impact your perception of our company?
“Very positively. Clear vision and behaviours and these are clearly lived.” - Please share any additional comments, thoughts, suggestions:
“Morning meeting: increase emphasis on learning – reading, presentations, videos.
Videos: Best of month or quarter. Interview employees re. Impact of 2 second lean on them. 1 video per month maybe.”
- What was your favourite experience or moment of truth?
“Loved the back office – appraisals, communication, it’s all joined up and dialed in.” - What was your biggest takeaway from the tour?
“We need to address the above.” - How did this Tour impact your perception of our company?
“Positively – very impressed.” - Please share any additional comments, thoughts, suggestions:
“Great to meet you! Thanks you!”
- What was your favourite experience or moment of truth?
“Visual displays.” - What was your biggest takeaway from the tour?
“Workshop how.” - How did this Tour impact your perception of our company?
“Positively.” - Please share any additional comments, thoughts, suggestions:
“Music at the start of morning meeting. Great team – thank you!”
- What was your favourite experience or moment of truth?
“Vision board and behaviour stand.” - What was your biggest takeaway from the tour?
“Behaviour standards: High-Solid-Low.” - How did this Tour impact your perception of our company?
“Organised, trustworthy, growth ready.” - Please share any additional comments, thoughts, suggestions:
“Keep going. Go paperless.”
Frequently Ask Questions
Who should attend?
Those that are serious and interested in creating a continuous improvement culture. The important thing is to have an open mind.
What time do ATC tours begin?
You should arrive at 09h30 to meet your tour host.
What days do ATC do tours?
Wednesdays and/or Fridays. The date will be confirmed once the booking has been confirmed.
What should I wear?
Please wear comfortable, smart casual clothes. Low/flat-heeled shoes or safety shoes are strongly advised.
Hi-viz vests and safety glasses will be provided.
Can I take photographs and videos?
Yes we encourage you to do so so that you get the most from the tour.
Will there be other attendees from other businesses on the tour?
Possibly. We normally host up to 10 at a time so depending on the size of your party there may be other attendees.
You can ask at the time of booking.