Lean Conference 2009

Three of Britain’s leanest manufacturers shared the secrets of 20 years’ worth of sustained corporate and operational improvement at Works Management’s 2009 Lean Manufacturing Conference.

The three, identified by the US-based international lean guru Professor Richard Schonberger as being among a small handful of UK-located companies demonstrating improving trends spanning more than two decades, came from the diverse manufacturing sectors of engineering, textiles and construction.

From Molins plc CEO Dick Hunter discussed how this £100 million turnover engineering business focused on Lean from a strategic, business perspective – a story of diversification, disposals, acquisitions and outsourcing in the pursuit of corporate and operational improvement.

Coats’ Supply Chain Director for Europe and Asia Hizmy Hassen described how the global leader in sewing thread manufacture has worked on the implementation of lean principles throughout its global supply chain.

Darren Wilson, Operations Manager at British Gypsum presented a case study in achieving success through reaching for world class process manufacturing standards in the production of plaster and plaster board.

The presentations were followed by two hands-on lean workshops with conference partners Productivity Europe and DAK Consulting.