about us

Founded on Experience and Research

"A team of students in Melbourne, Australia brainstorm solutions in our "Browning Bat Company" learning simulation."The Institute for Lean Systems was founded in 2006 by five former faculty members of the lean program at the University of Kentucky, where we researched and taught the principles of the Toyota Production System in direct partnership with Toyota.

Our combined personal experience and expertise spans over 80 years and includes focused research and hands-on experience in processes ranging from manufacturing to services to healthcare with topics like: mapping and managing value streams; practical problem-solving; shaping individual behaviors; and creating comprehensive lean culture in organizations.

Passionate Instructors and Coaches

Our team has highly diverse yet fully integrated expertise to clearly explain lean concepts from different perspectives.

Our passionate team members, insightful simulations, and thought-provoking exercises accelerate practical learning and keep it fun while building strong improvement teams within your organization.

Our breadth and depth of experience in applying lean to organizational settings ranging from automotive to aerospace, from job-shops to process industries, from health care operations to engineering design processes, enables us to design programs to meet your organization’s specific needs.

Strategic Transformation Program

We have taken the best elements of world-class systems, adapted or reinvented them, and packaged that knowledge to provide truly integrated education and transformation solutions for our clients. Our experience in developing learning systems, both academically and for professionals at work, gives us a unique capability to structure solutions for our clients.  One of those solutions is our Strategic Lean Transformation Program.

Action-oriented, people-focused

Our approach is action-oriented and delivers results that can’t be ignored. Our people and learning-focused programs create a highly capable lean culture at the same time they create lean value streams within your organization. 

Beyond that, our knowledge-based interaction in organizations creates a fiery passion in people to participate in positive organizational change and to accelerate their personal learning and growth.

It is this combination of knowledge and passion that promotes a lean culture that sustains your transformation and enhances your performance year after year.

Total Systems Perspective

We teach the business, operational, and human systems within a lean organization in a holistic and integrated fashion based on 13 years of experiential research and direct study of Toyota, the Toyota Way, and other great companies.

Our total systems perspective on lean is what clients - like Rolls-Royce - say sets us apart.  It’s what sets Toyota apart.  In our programs, we have created the architecture for the synergistic interaction between the human, managerial, financial, and technical components of business and operational systems.  It sets us apart - and we can set your organization apart from your “lean” competitors who haven’t progressed beyond a “tools” implementation, enabling your business to operate The Lean Way.

Whether you are seeking to build your personal lean expertise or setting out to transform your business from top to bottom, pursuing excellence throughout your organization, we are here to support you every step of the way.

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