A major pharmaceutical company facing the loss of a key product decided to undertake a lean thinking program to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their manufacturing and service processes.  They wanted to quickly achieve results, but  did not want to undermine several performance improvement  initiatives that were already in progress.  The company hired ESTM to develop and deliver the training required to support this initiative.

We developed a training program tailored to the company's operations that clearly demonstrated the relationship between lean thinking and the company's other performance improvement programs, and combined training in the principles and techniques of lean thinking with work on real company projects.  Under this approach, students were divided into project teams, worked on real company projects throughout the training course, and presented their findings and recommendations to management at the end of the training.  This hands-on approach provided the teams with the opportunity to immediately apply their newly acquired skills, and provided an opportunity for ESTM to coach the teams throughout the process, helping them hone their skills and overcome roadblocks,

The training was very successful.  The improvements recommended by the teams quickly paid dividends and improved plant operations, students gave the course high marks and felt the training was very valuable for their professional growth, and the success of the teams and positive feedback built momentum for the program as it was rolled out across the organization.