Lean in Italy

All articles about Lean in Italy

From kaizen to innovation
November 1, 2018
From kaizen to innovation

FEATURE – Innovation is a process and lean thinking allows that process to take place, by empowering everyone in the company to think creatively about solving customer problems.

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The lean candidate
October 19, 2020
The lean candidate

CASE STUDY – Have you ever considered how Lean Thinking could apply to politics? The author explains how the result of a mayoral race in southern Italy was ultimately determined by the lean approach adopted by one of the candidates.

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A journey of mind-blowing improvement
October 3, 2019
A journey of mind-blowing improvement

CASE STUDY – Seven years ago, this Italian manufacturer ran an experiment to reduce inventory in its warehouse. Today, lean thinking permeates every aspect of life at FPZ.

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Attorney at lean
November 21, 2019
Attorney at lean

CASE STUDY – A boutique law firm in Milan has initiated a lean transformation to turn around its processes, improve service to its clients and make life easier for the team.

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Can you standardize creative work?
September 19, 2018
Can you standardize creative work?

FEATURE – The belief that standardization kills creativity can be a severe hindrance in a lean transformation. The author discusses how he convinced his team of architects to give standards a try.

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Automation and lean supply chain at FIAT Chrysler
November 23, 2017
Automation and lean supply chain at FIAT Chrysler
WCM interview lean thinking

INTERVIEW – At the recent European Lean Summit, we sat down with a senior executive from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to learn more about the company’s World Class Manufacturing approach.

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When lean gets hard it is managers who have to persevere
March 7, 2017
When lean gets hard it is managers who have to persevere

FEATURE – A lean journey often has more downs than ups, but it is a responsibility of management to persist and keep asking the right questions that will steer the firm in the right direction.

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Focusing on problem solving at the front line
November 3, 2016
Focusing on problem solving at the front line

FEATURE – When market changes caused operational problems in their firm, two top managers decided to stick to lean thinking (and a set of specific practices) – learning to focus on what truly matters and letting their people embrace problem-solving.

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How the initiative of nurses transformed a whole department
June 11, 2017
How the initiative of nurses transformed a whole department

FEATURE – We can't go wrong when we trust our people to take the initiative that we will improve their work... that's how Siena University Hospital cut its procurement lead-time in Surgery by two-thirds.

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The lean journey of Sisma towards continuous innovation
July 27, 2017
The lean journey of Sisma towards continuous innovation

INTERVIEW – Italy-based precision machinery manufacturer Sisma has changed skin many times over the years. We sat down with its general manager to learn how the firm has been able to continuously innovate over the years.

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How Tokheim uses 5s to boost its environmental performance
June 7, 2017
How Tokheim uses 5s to boost its environmental performance

FEATURE – The many benefits of 5S are well known, but few people realize the positive impact the technique can have on our environmental performance, says our lean and green correspondent after visiting Tokheim Italia.

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The fantastic lean transformation of an Italian hospital
October 4, 2016
The fantastic lean transformation of an Italian hospital

CASE STUDY – There is more to Siena than the Palio: the Tuscan city boasts of one of the most advanced examples of lean healthcare in Italy. We asked the team at the University Hospital how they are doing it.

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A political party's first steps towards lean thinking
March 3, 2016
A political party's first steps towards lean thinking

FEATURE – A local branch of Italy’s Democratic Party has started using lean principles and tools to organize its activities more effectively and to counteract the discouragement that followed a bad electoral defeat.

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Recreating that “coffee break magic”
August 2, 2022
Recreating that “coffee break magic”

CASE STUDY – This digital organization has embarked on a cultural transformation that is allowing them to become more agile while keeping people and stimulating interactions at the heart of their work.

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Every second counts
May 17, 2021
Every second counts

FEATURE – As Italy rolls out its vaccination campaign, the author reflects on what he recently observed at a vaccination hub in the Veneto region and discusses how the process could be made leaner.

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What lean marketing teaches us about packaging
January 14, 2021
What lean marketing teaches us about packaging

FEATURE – What role does packaging play when it comes to marketing a product? The author discusses “lean packaging” and shares the example of an Italian toilet paper maker.

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How we made our microbiology lab Covid-ready
May 18, 2020
How we made our microbiology lab Covid-ready

FEATURE – When the number of Covid-19 cases skyrocketed in the Italian region of Piedmont, this microbiology lab had to find a way to increase its capacity to process swab tests. Here’s how they did it.

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Immunity
March 19, 2020
Immunity

CASE STUDY – This Italian manufacturer has found in lean a way to ensure business continuity and provide support to a distraught workforce in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak.

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Kaizen all around
November 4, 2019
Kaizen all around

FEATURE – Two coaches from Italian company FPZ reflect on their role helping lean thinking spread across the company and its newly-acquired businesses.

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Our new, leaner Cancer Center
May 2, 2019
Our new, leaner Cancer Center

FEATURE – The renovation of one of its departments gave a hospital in Italy the perfect opportunity to redesign his oncology care with lean healthcare principles in mind.

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Implanting lean ideas in our practice
February 21, 2019
Implanting lean ideas in our practice

FEATURE – Lean thinking has helped this dental practice in Italy to streamline the work, develop the capabilities of workers and free up a lot of the head dentist’s time.

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How we pioneered lean in Italy and are still leading the way
December 1, 2017
How we pioneered lean in Italy and are still leading the way

INTERVIEW – At the European Lean Summit in Venice, our editor sat down with Italy’s lean CEO extraordinaire. His company, which serves the natural gas industry, has been on the journey for almost two decades.

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A ten-year lean product development journey at Carel SpA
November 13, 2017
A ten-year lean product development journey at Carel SpA

INTERVIEW – A specialist in control solutions for air-conditioning, refrigeration and heating, Carel Industries first applied lean to R&D a decade ago, when few companies did. We asked them how their journey unfolded.

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Changing the layout of a nursery to improve neonatal care
April 10, 2017
Changing the layout of a nursery to improve neonatal care

FEATURE – Another month, another story of a lean project told by the Siena hospital front-line folks. This time we take you to the Intensive Care Nursery, whose layout was transformed to provide better care to premature newborns.

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Adopting lean principles to speed up blood donation
March 10, 2017
Adopting lean principles to speed up blood donation

FEATURE – In the second article of our series written by the front-line staff of Siena University Hospital, we learn how the lean principles of pull and flow have transformed the blood donating process.

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Nurses and doctors tell us how they are changing their ward
February 3, 2017
Nurses and doctors tell us how they are changing their ward

FEATURE – Every year, Siena University Hospital runs a Lean Day to celebrate and award its best lean projects. In this new series, front-line people write about five of these initiatives: first up, Internal Medicine.

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Towards lean service at Tokheim Italia
February 4, 2015
Towards lean service at Tokheim Italia

CASE STUDY - The Italian branch of Tokheim services about 3,000 gas stations in the central and northern parts of Italy. The general manager shares the story of how lean thinking changed everything, for the better.

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The lean journey of a manufacturer of combine harvesters
April 15, 2014
The lean journey of a manufacturer of combine harvesters

CASE STUDY - An approach based on Lean Daily Management System and experiments in a model area led an Italian manufacturer of combine-harvesters to become one of the leanest organizations in the Veneto region.

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How Pietro Fiorentini became Italy's lean champion
October 21, 2014
How Pietro Fiorentini became Italy's lean champion

CASE STUDY – A unique approach to lean management and the involvement of CEO Mario Nardi helped Pietro Fiorentini, provider of solutions for natural gas distribution, become a model for lean companies in Italy.

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