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The LET members are excellent communicators; experienced in coaching teams of managers, operators and engineers in continuous improvement methodologies such as Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) and Kaizen based activities, managing many teams from conception through to completion to deliver lasting results.

Skills and Expertise include:

  • Lean Company Assessments;
  • Team Building, Employee Engagement, and Leadership;
  • Lean Implementation Planning;
  • Lean Orientation;
  • Lean Fundamentals and Lean 101;
  • Development and delivery of essential skills and continuous improvement training modules;
  • Project management, having successfully managed projects to the value $7 million completing them on time and within budget;
  • Strong coaching, training, presentation and facilitation skills;
  •  Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Metric/Key Performance Indicator (KPI) development;
  • Value Stream Mapping; 
  • Root Cause Analysis;
  • Cycle Time ,Defect Reduction and New Product Development Lead Time Reduction;
  • Standardized Work and Job Instruction Training (TWI);
  • Facilitating continuous improvement workshops using a variety of Kaizen events such as 5S, Autonomous Maintenance, Value Stream Mapping, etc.

LET has partnered with Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters of British Columbia (CME-BC) (http://bc.cme-mec.ca) to bring Lean & Learning Networks (LLN) to the manufacturing industry in BC.

What is an LLN?

  • It is a group of companies committed to maximizing members’ competitiveness through the sharing of resources and expertise
  • Participating companies have an agreed upon need and vision
  • Senior management of each participating company recognizes the need to change and fully supports their company’s Lean journey
  • 10 to 15 companies form an LLN facilitated by a certified Continuous Improvement Trainer
  • An open, honest meeting forum where integrity is key so that companies can share problems, issues and successes and support one another with a view to implementing their Lean journeys faster and with greater success
  • It is ensured that there are no competitors in an LLN

What is the LLN advantage?

  • Learning from others as you cannot live long enough to make all the mistakes yourself
  • Members helping members
  • Proven strategy from Assessment to implementation
  • Help is only a phone call away
  • Tailored assistance with programs individualized
  • Direct cost savings with measurable results
  • Some example of Network successes:
    • Heating & Air Conditioning company:
      • Production parts per employee from 11 to 25 per shift (+ 227%)
      • Work in Process reduced by 72%
      • Opened up full production space to allow room for a 2nd line
    • Composites company:
      • 22 days from placing a customized order to delivery reduced to 9 hours
      • On time delivery increased from 50% to 85%
      • Work in Process reduced from 1,175 to 67 freeing up $400,000 in cash
    • Glazing company:
      • Reduced defects on key product line by 75%
      • Achieved $150,000 sustainable inventory reduction
    • Fire-fighting Equipment company:
      • 37% reduction in floor space
    • Plastics company:
      • 29% reduction in floor space

What are the LLN deliverables?

  • Personalized Lean Assessment for each company
  • 4 Board meetings per year (quarterly)
  • 2 shared training days per month (topics decided by members)
  • 12 Special Interest Group (SIG) days – 2 groups with 6 sessions each of shared training and implementation opportunities (SIG themes decided by members)
  • Annual Lean assessment for each company

What are companies saying about a Lean Network?

  • “Now after 18 months with higher productivity, morale, and in house innovation, I can't imagine stopping as there is much more my team can and will do with their new knowledge and company support." Dan Sabourin, President, ASI Plastics
  • “.....we gained great insight into Lean thinking and Lean tools, culture improvements and the associated cost benefits from having improved team communication and streamlined processes.” Megan Eastwood, Director of Operations, Norwood Packaging
  • “10 years ago, I was VP Manufacturing at Xantrex, and we thought we were good. We knew there was potential for improvement. As we joined the Lean Consortia then, we quickly realized that some others were 'damn good'. We had to move a lot faster. The Lean Consortia definitely helped us close the gap. Looking at today's reality, I am sure that people at GM have said they improved a lot over the last 20 years. They did. But that was not fast enough. I have been in many industries since I left Xantrex. The imperative for improvement is greater today than 10-20 years ago, in any industry.” Louis Belanger, General Manager, PDG Mobility
  • The program did exactly what I had hoped for, it provided the entire staff a better understanding of what "Lean is" and what we can accomplish if we all work together. We enjoyed working with the other consortium members and their staff. We all shared in each others’ successes and challenges. Past Participant

Is there an LLN near to me that I could join?

  • LLNs are being set up in:
    • the Lower Mainland;
    • the Okanagan;
    • Prince George; and
    • Vancouver Island

How do I find out more information?

  • Send us an email by clicking the “Contact” tab

How do I go about joining an LLN?

  • You must be a member in good standing with the CME
  • There must be senior management buy-in within your company
  • Membership in an LLN is on a “first-come-first-served” basis, which means that there must be room in the LLN for your company to join AND there must not be a competing company that is already a member
  • For more information or a membership application, please send us an email by clicking the “Contact” tab