Our hosts welcome you to the Lean Global Connection 2025, sharing important information and giving you an idea of what you can expect from this year's content.

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Borgesius's lean journey started with a Quick Scan across nine bakery production sites. The findings were eye-opening: they realized that performance management was largely missing, and that huge opportunities existed to improve focus, alignment, and results. That discovery became the catalyst for building a structured performance management system designed to set clear priorities, drive improvement, and sustain progress. In this session, Jan will share how performance management evolved from a missing element into a daily engine for improvement. Discover how clear KPIs and regular performance dialogues can turn insights into tangible results and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

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Many organizations face resistance when trying to build a lean culture, even though the benefits are clear. The team at AstraZeneca GFS has learned to transform that resistance into engagement from the very start of their lean journey. Their approach focuses on developing lean leadership habits, building practical problem-solving skills, and encouraging small, daily improvements across the global finance organization. Elżbieta and Milena will share how Lean Ambassadors, structured learning pathways, and thoughtful communication strategy have helped create a culture of continuous improvement and shared success.

Nordic Door is a manufacturer of interior doors for the professional market in Scandinavia, based in southern Norway. Under the leadership of Tom Refsdal, the company has spent the past five years transforming its leadership approach, developing its people, and modernizing its digital infrastructure.

A key element of this transformation is the systematic development of skills — including technical, leadership, improvement, and digital competencies. In this session, Lean Coach Monica Briseid and IT Manager Rolleif Charman will share hiw they are doing this in practice  

The session will be hosted by LGN Fellow Eivind Reke.

After merging its Continuous Improvement and Business Intelligence teams, LEGO set out to combine the best of both worlds in its mission toward Operational Excellence. Grounded in lean tools, methods, and mindset, they leverage digital solutions where they truly add value—but they’ve also learned that nothing replaces ownership on the shop floor. Join Henrik as he shares key insights, benefits, and lessons learned from this ongoing journey.

As part of Toyota’s activity in the UK, the Toyota Lean Management Centre (TLMC) transfers the skills and management best practices based on the highly acclaimed and successful Toyota Production System (TPS) and global Toyota Way management concepts. To coincide with the UK Lean Summit in April 2026, the TLMC team will show how Toyota applies these concepts in-house with Lean Practice Days at Burnaston and Deeside. We will discuss the application using the 5 dimensions of the Lean Transformation Framework - value, the work, capability, management and behaviours and underlying thinking and culture - sharing some of the golden nuggets you will see in practice.

This session explores the experiences of implementing Lean in African settings, based on leadership interactions, customer feedback, and cultural context. It examines how connecting these lessons to the people-development value stream and other improvement methods can create lasting change. Attendees will gain an understanding of systemic challenges and realities, and learn how adaptable, empowered organizations and leaders can drive a lean transformation culture despite these obstacles.

True leadership isn’t about authority—it’s about values, ownership, courage, and belief in people. In this presentation, Roman will share lessons from nearly three decades of international experience across 15 countries, from Europe to Asia and the USA. Drawing on his leadership of more than 30 manufacturing plants at GKN Automotive, Selena Group, and Solaris Bus & Coach, he explores how ownership-based leadership can transform teams, build trust, and drive sustainable growth.
This is a story of values in action—leadership that empowers people to take responsibility and create lasting impact.

For a decade, Lean Academy Portugal has offered a post-graduate program to unniversity students and professionals. Participants report a deep impact on themselves and their organizations, fostering journeys toward higher standards. Sergio will talk about the impact of the Lean Practitioner Program and the transformative power of Lean Thinking and Practice it represents.

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While the maintenance task of RvB is ever increasing, the skilled staff is not growing at the same pace for the coming years. In order to cope with this challenge and secure the availability of talent over the coming decades, RvB is in the middle of migrating the project maintenance organization from a vertical and functional one towards a horizontal multifunctional one. Harry shares their learnings while still in the middle of this transformation. This presentation follows up on earlier presentations by the Real Estate Agency on the Lean Global Connection 2023 and 2024.

Hoshin Kanri reveals the gap between today’s capabilities and tomorrow’s challenges. The team at FPZ will explain how rethinking how they use tools, supporting process leaders, and reshaping their organizational structure helps them turn strategic tension into a driver for transformation.

Japan’s automotive industry—led by Toyota—has long been a global benchmark for Operational Excellence. After visiting 14 Japanese and 15 German automotive plants representing every major manufacturer, Prof. Roser compares these two worlds. In his presentation, you’ll discover the key similarities and differences between Japanese and German approaches—and learn what truly distinguishes excellent companies from merely good ones.

Who said solutions need to be expensive? In this session, you will learn how Jabil was able to minimize the number of possible errors during the Selective Soldering process by experimenting with and building an easy and cost effective solution into the machine, instead of investing in a complex palette return system.

Pierre shares his experience moving from Toyota to applying TPS (Lean) outside Toyota. He will discuss the challenges he encounters, the humility needed (learning and teaching in pair with people with experience outside Toyota), and the lessons he's learning. He'll share his passion for creating value by translating TPS concepts and apply them to any customer language and situation.

Discover how GE Appliances became the #1 appliances company in the U.S. through cocreation and user-driven innovation. VP of Logistics Marcia Brey shares their revolutionary approach: organizing into microenterprises, empowering employees as entrepreneurs, and building open ecosystems where customers become cocreators—proving that innovation thrives when communities, not management alone, define priorities.

To succeed in a lean transformation, one must begin not with projects of implementing tools, but with an understanding of the organization itself— and its business. Every company has its own products, technologies, people, and ways of working that shape where waste accumulates and where learning can take root. The first task is to see clearly how the organization actually functions so as to identify the few places where change will make a real difference. Only then can lean principles and tools be applied effectively. Without this understanding, Lean risks becoming a collection of disconnected initiatives. With it, the transformation becomes a disciplined process of learning how the organization creates value and how to make that value flow ever more smoothly.

Join Robert and Matt for an energizing look at how organizations can build a true culture of continuous improvement by connecting people growth and process excellence. This session introduces the People Bridge, a practical approach that develops capability at every level while improving processes that solve real business problems. Participants will learn how to scale learning, participation, and purpose to drive sustainable performance and meaningful work across the enterprise.

Edison will explain how ME Elecmetal has transformed its approach to innovating by applying the Lean Product and Process Development methodology (LPPD). Through teamwork, experimentation and continuous improvement, the company managed to accelerate the development of new products, reducing lead-times and strengthening collaboration among departments to provide more value to mining customers.

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Jacques will show that Lean is far more than a set of tools and explain why its success depends on a deep understanding of the fundamental pillars of the Toyota Production System (TPS). He will illustrate the application of Just-in-Time and Jidoka (including methods such as poka-yoke, Andon, and JKK) through practical examples, and talk about the approach used to train and actively engage employees in the transformation.

Focusing on leadership as the driving force of a transformation, the presentation will show how Brazil’s largest renewable energy construction company managed to improve its results. Gustavo will share insights on the evolution of lean practices on job sites, their expansion to procurement and engineering, and the development of lean leaders at Dois A Engenharia.

Discover how the Toyota Production System (TPS) transcends traditional lean tools to become a humanitarian economic system. Olivier's presentation explores TPS’s philosophical, technical, and managerial elements that eliminate trade-offs by restoring the dignity of work and aligning financial, social, and environmental goals. Learn how TPS fosters true efficiency, resilience, and harmony across firms, workers, customers, and the planet.

Construction productivity is in crisis—modern projects take 40% longer than they should. This session shows how one developer is reversing the trend through a three-pillar strategy: applying Lean Thinking to eliminate waste, using generative AI to cut design phases from years to months, and driving cultural transformation to achieve goals like “100 apartments in 10 months.” Learn how technology, data, and Lean together redefine what’s possible in construction.

This Hoshin Kanri strategy sets out a long-term vision in which every business unit aligns around a shared purpose: to grow and strengthen people’s capabilities. By connecting two perspectives of Hoshin Kanri — the annual and the long-term — it blends the strategic and the tactical, engaging the entire organization in a participatory process that fosters people’s development and transforms challenges into opportunities for sustainable growth.

The production of dry salted codfish is deeply rooted in Portuguese culture, and dominated by traditional, time-honored methods. Navigating this traditional environment, GRUPEIXE recently embarked on a lean journey. Nuno will explore the significant milestones and cultural changes achieved during this period. He’ll also examine the practical tools implemented to drive continuous improvement within the organization.

The team at Dreamplace Hotels & Resorts has learned that achieving better results than the competition begins with people. In his presentation, Marco will share how the company has developed new capabilities across its teams—engaging employees through change, building an empowerment-based leadership culture, and helping people generate greater productivity than technology alone can deliver. It’s also a story about fostering self-management, continuous learning, and shared leadership to ensure that growth never stops.

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This presentation showcases the improvement work carried out in the sales area of Codelpa. Using the A3 method, the team identified where to focus sales efforts, implemented targeted actions to boost key product sales, and achieved a stronger overall contribution to business performance.

In this session, Juan Manuel will explore how applying lean principles with purpose can become a powerful catalyst for personal fulfilment. This alignment between intrinsic motivation and continuous improvement not only builds more meaningful work, but also generates superior and more sustainable results for the organization.

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A joint initiative by several institutes from the Lean Global Network is focusing on the application and potential of Lean Thinking in the agribusiness sector. Bruno, a representative of this international team, will share some insights as well as some reflections and lessons learned from the real-life case of a Brazilian farm.

This session explores how healthcare leaders can move beyond crisis management to create organizations that learn and adapt every day. Drawing from the Instituto Modelo de Cardiología’s lean transformation journey, Dr. Javier Sala Mercado will share real examples of how Lean Thinking builds purpose-driven teams, improves patient care, and strengthens institutional resilience. This session invites leaders to reimagine their role — from problem solvers to system designers — fostering a culture where continuous learning becomes a foundation for lasting excellence.

This is the story of a family-owned retail business that began its lean journey at the direction of one of the owners, only to struggle for years to get people truly engaged. After more than 15 years of tool-driven projects with limited results, everything changed following their participation in the 2024 LEI Summit. In 2025, through two collaborative projects with LEI, they began to see real transformation—shifting from implementing tools to developing people’s thinking, and finally achieving the meaningful, sustainable results they had long pursued.

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Dr. Fred Pinto's new book focuses on applying lean principles to enhance management and quality in complex healthcare systems, from the perspective of the system's architect, a concept he developed together with the Lean Healthcare Initiative of the Lean Global Network (as discussed in the white paper “Five Guiding Principles to Transform Healthcare”). In his presentation, Dr Fred, a seasoned lean healthcare leader and former CEO of IOV Group, will introduce the Manifesto and its seven essential principles for dealing with complexity in healthcare systems, with an emphasis on understanding the system and human behavior and the role of the System’s Architect.

María José will present a major Lean Transformation focused on Daily Management and Hoshin Kanri. It connects strategy with action and people development across the company’s operations. Through this transformation, the company aligned global objectives with operational goals, strengthened leadership and problem-solving capabilities, and empowered teams to make data-driven decisions. A visual management system enhanced performance tracking and prioritization, while stronger cross-functional collaboration improved efficiency and learning.

The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Corporation is responsible for Montréal’s major bridges. Philippe will share how the organization has used hoshin kanri to align strategy and execution over the past three years. From the challenges that sparked this journey to the creation of an Obeya room and the lessons learned along the way, he will highlight how hoshin helped JCCBI build focus, collaboration, and a stronger culture of learning.

Artificial Intelligence is changing faster than management systems can adapt. The challenge for lean leaders isn’t just learning new tools—it’s guiding organizations through a new kind of transformation. In this talk, Art will explore how Lean Thinking provides the compass for leading in the AI era. Using clear frameworks—Big AI vs. Narrow AI, the Technology × Behavior × Management equation, and the Four Situations of Lean AI—he will show where “token-based” AI (LLMs) can genuinely amplify human capability and where physical “torque-based” systems still lead. Drawing from decades of lean practice and current AI experimentation, including a brief demo of his AI Problem-Solving Coach, Art will share how leaders can approach AI as a transformation journey: start small, learn fast, align purpose, and build capability so that Humans + AI > Problems.

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How do you move from “doing Lean” to “doing Lean well”? At OhioHealth, we use a Management System Assessment Tool to identify gaps to ideal performance. This session shares how we challenge a mature Lean system to continuously advance through clarity, intentionality, and a focus on ideal state.

In this session, Ashley will share how Lean-inspired creativity can drive innovation in academic medicine. Her talk highlights the cultural shifts needed to unlock transformative value in healthcare.

As a CEO, Meredith once believed that growth came from ambition and speed. Through Lean, he discovered that true, sustainable growth comes from learning—his own and his team’s. In this session, he shares how Lean taught him to lead with curiosity, humility, and persistence, turning problem-solving into a source of joy and purpose. It’s the story of how he set out not just to build a successful company, but to create a workplace where everyone can learn, grow, and thrive together.

A reflection of 10 years at Toyota that shaped the next 30 years of Tony’s career as an improvement coach. This presentation provides valuable lessons for lean practitioners, coaches, and operational leaders.

When Lean became a serious focus at Endsight, CEO Mike Chaput realized the company’s existing vision and values weren’t a strong enough foundation for a real transformation. In this session, he will share the lessons learned from false starts and from blending ideas from lean thinkers like Liker, Womack, and Deming with insights from leaders such as Collins and Lencioni. Mike will explain how vision and values act as an “operating system” that allows Lean to take root—and how a spirit of play, rooted in creativity and trust, fuels it. Participants will learn practical ways to embed vision, values, and play into daily management so Lean becomes part of their organization’s DNA, not just another initiative.

Join Kylie to learn about the application of Lean Thinking in a large, private, radiology practice. She will share two case studies to give insight into how they have improved performance for patients, the team, and the organization.

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This session builds on last year’s exploration of how Lean Thinking can be deepened through a paradox mindset—embracing both/and thinking over either/or choices. As individuals and organizations face conflicting demands, learning to navigate tensions and appreciate paradoxes becomes essential. John and Rachel will introduce a new hypothesis: polarity mapping combined with a paradox mindset can help mitigate all-too-common, paralyzing, wasteful, and unnecessary polarization. They’ll share insights and practical experience behind their thinking, that those who master this approach flourish over time. To see last year’s session here.

As Lean experts retire and the workforce evolves, the future of continuous improvement depends on who we prepare to lead next. This session explores an innovative week-long Lean Camp designed for 6th–12th graders that builds the mindset, discipline, and creativity of future problem-solvers. Through a mix of curriculum, games, videos, and hands-on projects, participants learn how to think Lean before they enter the workforce—ensuring the principles of continuous improvement have a lasting legacy.

The lean journey at Trinchero Family Estates has evolved within the Operations department over the past 4 years. The company has built "management systems" that cascade the work in a logical way that teams are striving to implement. Their primary management systems are strategy deployment, Trinchero Way Transformation and our productivity and CI work. Amy will explain how they focus on becoming lean leaders, applying the systems, and training and engaging people—and how they are changing the culture and adding value to the customer as a result.

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In this candid reflection, Australian leaders offer their insights into why Lean Thinking remains essential in today's complex and fast-moving world.

Behind every smooth production process lies a strong maintenance system. These Indonesian nickel smelters have proven that operational stability starts with daily discipline. By applying the Lean Transformation Framework to maintenance quality execution, they built routines that drive reliability, ownership, and continuous improvement on the shop floor. Discover how daily management practices can transform maintenance into a source of lasting impact, powered by Lean Thinking.

In this candid reflection, Australian leaders offer their insights into why Lean Thinking remains essential in today's complex and fast-moving world.

Biti’s "Happy-Lean" model reimagines lean manufacturing by integrating it with employee happiness and deep human connection. The Vietnamese footwear brand shares its journey of merging operational excellence with well-being. The approach transformed the culture, moving beyond traditional change management to make Happy-Lean the heart and soul of daily ops.

Every organization’s culture has its own heartbeat, its own ways of thinking, working, and leading. This session explores how lean leadership can be thoughtfully adapted to that rhythm, turning improvement from a process into a shared belief system. Discover how aligning methods with culture can inspire ownership, strengthen collaboration, and make work better in ways that truly last.

This session details the integration of digital solutions to connect material supply with smart garment manufacturing operations. The  approach transforms a traditional factory through value stream optimization, improving agility and speed across the entire process. Introducing the "cut-to-box" express line, the system delivers a 50-60% shorter lead-time.

Facing a complex and fast-changing market, GarudaFood realized that true growth requires clarity and simplicity, not just tools. Guided by Lean Thinking, the company restructured around three pillars: System Lead, Operation Lead, and Standardization Lead. Under Basuki’s leadership, this structure fostered synergy, mindfulness, and continuous improvement, proving that by simplifying processes and empowering people, clarity becomes the foundation of lasting success.

The story of how Nike, a giant in the sneaker industry, adopted Toyota’s Lean production system in the late 1990s to overcome a crisis. Known for its product innovation, Nike achieved a third innovation—one that fundamentally transformed its "footwear production system" itself. Don't miss Tony McNaughton's interview with DJ Kim.

In today’s fast-changing world of AI and automation, Operational Excellence offers companies a unique chance to leap ahead or even redefine their industries. From a leadership perspective, it centers on continuous improvement—driving bottom-line efficiency, top-line growth, and innovative business models. This presentation will explore these three dimensions through cross-industry case studies, providing fresh insights on building adaptability and long-term competitiveness in a volatile market.

Its cocktail hour in Australia! Join Nicole and Denise for some dialogue about the many faces of Lean Thinking and Practice. When people ask you what is Lean Thinking, what is your answer? When you ask a group of people in training what Lean Thinking and Practice is, what answers do you get? We are sure over cocktails our responses will become more creative! We might just find that Lean Thinking is a bit like mixology: balancing ingredients, experimenting continuously, and always striving for that perfect blend of value, flow, and purpose.

Esquel is committed to developing organizational sustainability and sees people as a pillar of its strategy to achieve this. Starting with the revolutionary dining transformation, Esquel launched a whole set of initiatives to enhance the employee wellness and ultimately help to enhance the company’s competitiveness and sustainability.

Innovation alone does not guarantee profitability. Many organizations generate creative ideas but struggle to turn them into products that deliver lasting market and financial success. This presentation explores how effective product planning bridges the gap between innovation and profitability. By aligning customer value, technical feasibility, and business strategy early in the development phase, product planning provides the structure for smarter decisions, faster learning, and better resource allocation.

AI is transforming the global industrial landscape, rapidly automating intellectual tasks and exponentially enhancing analytical and decision-making capabilities. As this powerful technological wave accelerates, important questions arise: Does Lean management still matter? And how can we integrate the strengths of human expertise with AI to redefine Lean in this new era?

This presentation shares Iran’s first structured lean implementation in the machine-woven carpet industry. It introduces a hybrid framework combining Value Stream Mapping and other lean tools with decision-making methods and human-centric behavioral tools, showing how lean principles can successfully take root in culturally traditional manufacturing sectors.

Value Stream Mapping is a core tool in Lean Thinking, yet many logistics transformations fall short of their potential. That’s because logistics represents only a small part of the full value stream—from order receipt to production, delivery, and payment. True transformations require looking beyond logistics and embracing ean digitalization as a strategic enabler. In this presentation, the cases of two company leaders will be shared to show attendees how they used digital lean methods to drive end-to-end improvement, offering practical insights for organizations seeking meaningful transformation.

This month marks the 3rd anniversary of the launch of ChatGPT, and the impact on organizations and people has been significant. Some find their roles directly threatened by AI substitutes, others are required to adopt new tools, most are uncertain. This talk surveys the 2025-26 landscape, and what the continued adoption of AI means for lean leaders.

In mining operations, every minute counts, and shift change is a critical moment. At Vale Indonesia, the mining team applied the Lean Transformation Framework to reduce production loss during shift transitions. By integrating Short Interval Control into shift change management, they improved communication, coordination, and truck utilization. The result: smoother handovers, higher equipment effectiveness, and a stronger culture of daily improvement.

Join Ruslan as he talks about how you can go from using Lean as an efficiency and cost-optimization system to relying on it as an enabler of a strategic growth. You will learn how lean principles drive value creation, agility, and scalability—alongside waste elimination—and to appreciate that Lean Thinking applies to growth, innovation, and strategy just as it does to operations.

Continuous Improvement isn’t just for competitive industries. The Western Cape Blood Service set out to prove that Lean Thinking can create just as much value in a non-profit context by improving service, efficiency, and impact. In this presentation, Greg will explain why Lean made sense at the Western Cape Blood Service, how they implemented it, and how it has transformed the way they work.

At Vale’s nickel smelting operation, furnace instability caused by fluctuating carbon levels in calcine was a persistent challenge. But then a cross-functional team went to the gemba to uncover and solve the root cause behind unburnt coal from the ore drying process. Through A3 analysis and PDCA cycles, they upgraded instrumentation, automated controls, accelerated lab feedback, and standardized operator routines—resulting in a 38.3% improvement in carbon stability, restored furnace power consistency, and a stronger culture.

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In the face of extraordinary challenges, Ukrainian organizations are applying lean principles to strengthen national resilience, from the battlefield to the factory floor. Andrii’s presentation will explain how TWI methods are accelerating the training of military medics, how LPPD is speeding up the development of new defense technologies, and how modular lean production cells are helping rebuild and protect the nation’s defense industry.

At Volkswagen Poznań, the 3P (Production Preparation Process) method has become essential for successfully launching new products. This approach enables cross-functional teams to plan, test, and improve processes before production even begins—combining Lean principles with tools like Virtual Reality (VR). Discover how structured 3P workshops help optimize process flow and ensure smooth, confident launches of new car models, backed by years of proven experience.

ILIAS Solutions has evolved from a small software firm into a global provider for the defense sector. Its Defense Platform, a fifth-generation software suite built specifically for defense operations, combines the expertise of military professionals and modern software engineers to deliver reliable, mission-ready solutions. As the organization expands worldwide, its leadership focuses on developing people and fostering a culture of ownership as the foundation for sustainable growth. In this presentation, Jean-Pierre will share lessons from leading across diverse, multicultural teams and navigating complex, often challenging environments.

In this session, Eivind will share how Nordic Door, a leading Scandinavian door manufacturer, has developed its leaders through the principles of the Toyota Production System (TPS). Over the past five years, under Tom Refsdal’s leadership, the company has built a strong improvement culture, strengthened problem-solving capabilities, and aligned digital and organizational development with lean principles—embedding continuous improvement into the daily work.

Bring your lean questions to this interactive session with Riegholt Hilbrands, Senior Coach at the Lean Management Instituut in the Netherlands. With several years of hands-on experience supporting transformations across industries, Riegholt will share practical insights and straight answers to real-world challenges—live and unfiltered.

How can leaders truly lead if they’re trapped in day-to-day firefighting? In this presentation, Matteo will share how Silgan identified the one crucial goal that really mattered for the company — and how aligning everyone around it unlocked focus, teamwork, and real progress.

In this session, David will share his first-hand experience with the transformation of Simon's factory in Olot, Catalonia from a traditional industrial model to a lean production system. He will walk through the company’s journey, from its early lean initiatives to the execution of a full transformation program, detailing the key projects involved and the lessons learned along the way. He will also highlight the crucial role of leadership, contrasting short-term behaviors with the development of a long-term lean culture, and discuss the main challenges faced during the process and how they were overcome. Finally, he will outline the next steps: rolling out Lean to other factories in the group and extending lean principles to office processes at headquarters.

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As a regular contributor to Planet Lean Magazine, Catherine regularly publishes engaging accounts of her gemba visits to lean companies in France. In her session, she will share with the audience what those visits taught her about leadership, commitment to the Toyota Production System, lean results... and hope for the future.

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Cyril will share how Bernard Controls used Jidoka to drive both human development and operational excellence as part of their turnaround. Through practices like Andon and team leader systems, Quality Clinics, the Dantotsu approach, and a visible Customer Complaint Wall, Bernard Controls built a culture of respect, autonomy, and continuous learning.

This session focuses on translating leadership vision into reality, turning strategic lean objectives into practical, measurable outcomes. Aisha will share insights on designing, implementing, and adapting lean strategies to daily realities while building long-term resilience at EHA Clinics. With an emphasis on execution, team engagement, and continuous improvement, the session will show how Lean moves beyond theory.

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This session showcases how ABM-Trade, an animal nutrition manufacturer, applied lean principles to transform its operations. During a Kaizen event, a cross-functional team identified key inefficiencies in production and logistics and implemented targeted improvements, achieving shorter lead-times, stronger supply stability, and greater people engagement. What began as a single event became the foundation for a culture of continuous improvement—proving how well Lean works in agriculture.

NGNY, a Spanish SME specializing in machine design and manufacturing, has been using Lean to grow sustainably without losing quality, culture, or team balance. As the company expanded, it shifted from creative improvisation to structured, disciplined routines supported by visual management. With support from the Instituto Lean Management, NGNY introduced planning dashboards, change-control systems, and daily alignment practices. The transformation replaced reactive “hero” work with predictable, high-quality processes. The result: no late deliveries, less stress, and a resilient foundation for continued growth. This session offers practical insights for SMEs seeking to scale without losing what makes them unique and uniquely strong.

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AI is transforming nearly every industry, and software engineering is both the first to feel its impact and the pioneer in exploring its potential. In this session, Marek will share how the team at Theodo are applying Lean Thinking to experiment with AI in software development, highlighting key learnings, challenges, and insights from this rapidly evolving field.

In a fast-changing world, sustainable performance requires more than strong leadership and efficient processes. Lean Thinking offers a radically different approach: empowering people, building problem-solving capabilities, and creating the conditions for continuous learning. Romain will share insights from eight years of practice and a journey to the roots of the Toyota Way — inviting you to rethink leadership for lasting impact.

What if you took the Toyota Production System and applied the Lean Transformation Framework questions to it? What would you see? And how could you use what you see to assess or design and develop your own lean efforts? In this session, the Lean Enterprise Academy team describes a unique collaboration that takes place in April 2026.

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MOL-LUB’s PDCA wasn’t just a training exercise—it was a survival strategy. After years of underperformance and frustration, the team rebuilt their way of working step by step. The result? Within two weeks, our average output surpassed what used to be our best days. This is the story of how structure replaced excuses, and how PDCA became the foundation for reaching international top-tier performance

This session explores how ER Hospitality applied lean principles to transform its Central Reservations Office, a function tightly integrated with Revenue Management. Jalloud will unpack the symptoms that revealed deeper process and people challenges, share the structured problem-solving approach the team used, and highlight key initiatives that delivered measurable impact. The presentation will also reflect on the human dimension of change, showing how data-driven insights supported teams in improving performance and engagement.

How does a CEO help to embed Lean in the company culture? How do they ensure their organizations stay resilient? Dr. Ilodibe will share the CEO’s perspective on aligning vision with daily practices, fostering accountability, and building organizations that thrive amid uncertainty. She’ll highlight the role of leadership in inspiring teams, sustaining lasting impact, and ensuring lean principles are not just tools, but a way of leading and living.

This session explores how the team at FAF VANA manages the global flow of finished goods, semi-finished products, raw materials, and commercial items through systems engineered on lean principles. By synchronizing assembly lines and production plans across sites and applying a pull-based approach to raw material control, they have created an integrated model that enhances balance, agility, and efficiency—enabling waste-free management of production, supply, and inventory worldwide.

Drawing from his extensive real-world experience, Néstor, author of Managing Without Problems, will guide participants through the practical challenges of a lean transformation. The presentation will introduce a model that successfully balances the pursuit of immediate operational results with the development of a sustainable lean culture. Néstor will highlight the risks of implementing lean tools without a solid cultural foundation, which often leads to short-lived improvements. His proposed approach integrates financial impact (in safety, quality, volume, and cost) with long-term cultural evolution, using model areas to test and consolidate practices from the Toyota Production System (TPS).

By emphasizing small, deliberate steps, leadership development at all levels, and the avoidance of premature scaling, this model aims to deliver visible improvements that energize the organization while laying the groundwork for deep and lasting transformation.

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Marek and Renata will share how lean strategy, TWI techniques, and the DOJO method are transforming the way BorgWarner Poland onboards new employees. The focus is on improving both efficiency and quality, showing how structured training and continuous improvement drive lasting success. Join this session to discover how these approaches foster faster integration, stronger skills, and a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence.

As society enters an era of constant transformation, success will depend on building with AI, not just on using it. Theodor will explore how exponential advances in AI are reshaping jobs, industries, and skills. His presentation will highlight the rapid automation of repetitive computer tasks, the emergence of AI agents, and the disruption across sectors. He'll also talk about adaptability, continuous learning, and the development of human-centered soft skills.

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Attempts to develop a lean culture are often met with pushback from teams and stakeholders. What skills do we need to help address this challenge? How can leaders turn resistance into engagement? Lucia will dive into change management, the leadership competency that turns lean ambition into lasting impact.

At Borgo Egnazia, in Italian region of Apulia, excellence grows through shared leadership and continuous learning. Guided by Lean Thinking, cross-functional teams transformed guest complaints into opportunities for collaboration and prevention of problems. This story shows how teamwork and daily discipline make for an authentic and outstanding hospitality experience for every guest.

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Gábor will explain how the Coloplast Hungary team accelerated a critical, frequently occurring part replacement process in their machines. He’ll show where they started, where they are today, and what future state they have set for themselves. Curious? Their True North is a process that resembles the Formula 1 tire change.

AI is reshaping work, but few know how to lead through it. Beyond fascination and fear, what kind of leadership can turn this revolution into real progress for people and customers? Lean offers a path placing clarity of intent, learning, and care at the center, to build organizations worthy of human and artificial intelligence.

Join José Ferro, author of Daily Management to Execute Strategy, and Mark Reich, author of Managing on Purpose, for a conversation on the vital connection between Daily Managementand Hoshin Kanri. Every organization must manage and improve its operations day-to-day while also innovating year-to-year to stay competitive. Bridging these two worlds—execution and strategy—is not just important; it’s essential for sustainable success. Discover how aligning Daily Management with Hoshin Kanri can help organizations turn purpose into performance.

Discover how the DsoSuite team reduced their lead-time from 161 to 21 days through a lean transformation focused on pull flow, standardization, and root cause analysis. Visual management, focused squads, agile work (TPS combined with Extreme Programming), daily demos, and continuous improvement enabled faster delivery, improved quality, and stronger alignment with customer expectations.

CIMPOR, one of the largest cement producers in Portugal, started its lean journey this year. Carlos will share the company’s key leanings six months into the journey, in particular on how teams and individuals carry out their daily work, and on how they identify and solve problems. He’ll also share some of the experiments the team is running to improve the workplace. Want to start a lean journey? This session is for you!

In one of the world’s most challenging contexts, Medair’s Somalia program pioneered the use of Lean to deliver greater impact with limited resources. Abdinoor and Andrew will talk about this initiative and share examples of improving performance internally and with partners. They will reflect on what it takes to lead Lean in complex, resource-constrained environments. Any organization, whether in crisis or stability, can learn from their journey.

Once upon a time, there was a successful manager who rose all the way to MOL Group’s C-suite. He led with a traditional, hard-driving style, focused relentlessly on profit. But, as it often happens during a time of crisis, a fairy godmother appeared to show him a different path: eliminate waste, follow the flow, and the value will grow.
The rest is history… and you’ll hear it all in 30 minutes.