Our most advanced lean certification program is the Blackbelt program, in which participants learn "leading edge" lean materials designed to create world-class lean leaders.
Constantly updated since its launch in 2002, LSI's Blackbelt is the most respected lean program in North America and is now considered the standard in this industry. Unlike other classroom-based courses, LSI's Blackbelt focus 80% of its session on hands-on kaizen and strategy development.
Furthermore, the Blackbelt program includes the benchmark trip to Japan where we visit the "best of best" such as Toyota factory, Nissan factory, and Toyota Forklift customer service center, to name some. LSI is the only organization in the world that includes a trip to Japan as part of the standard curriculum. We have already taken more than 500 people to Japan.
Our next Blackbelt program starts on September 22 - but the class is already full. We do have some space left in the 2015 program which begins on February 2, 2015. Please contact us for further details as our Blackbelt program is often sold out many weeks in advance.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Friday, September 5, 2014
Where is LSI going over the next several months?
In early 2015 and beyond, our Executive programs will take us to the Florida coast, then by spring time we will be travelling to Japan again, followed by trips to Europe (Germany and Italy). Projects in UK and Belgium are currently being considered as well, though it looks like we don't have to visit China, Thailand, or Singapore in the next several months as we did in the recent past.
While travels are a bit tough on our body and mind, as long as we are pursuing our vision to "transform the world through lean," we will simply keep moving forward!
Splitting Atoms
Today Jake facitated the first in a series of Lean 101 sessions for Pavac Industries Inc.
This high tech company is working with Lean Sensei to have all floor staff up to speed on the basics of lean.
Not every employee needs to be Greenbelt trained but everyone needs to at least understand lean speak in order for lean to truly permeate into the fabric of your organization.
To set-up in-house training for your organization, contact us at 604-264-1000 or info@leansensei.com
Information on in-house projects
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Friday, August 22, 2014
Summer at Lean Sensei is all about customized Executive programs
Even without the buzz of our regular Greenbelt/Blackbelt programs going on, Lean Sensei is having a busy summer with in-house and customized programs. Earlier this week we welcomed Walton International for an Executive Lean Strategy program. Customized Executive programs also provide credit towards Executive Lean Certification.
The combination of our experience and our unique approach delivers a faster return on investment, while maintaining long-term sustainability within your organization.
Our individualized coaching services include:
The Lean Academy’s Executive Certification program has been specially designed for Senior Executives and Leaders regardless of what level of lean journey they have embarked on. There is a strong correlation between organizations whose leaders have undergone lean training and their ability to succeed in implementing transformational change through Lean. As such, the Executive Certification program focuses on developing the skills required to strategize, lead, direct and manage Lean activities.
The Executive Lean Certification program is designed for those who have greater responsibility for deploying Lean and managing Lean initiatives. The key focus is on corporate-wide topics such as strategy, people development, organizational problem solving, and leadership.
For more information on how to customize our programs for your organization, please visit our website here.
The combination of our experience and our unique approach delivers a faster return on investment, while maintaining long-term sustainability within your organization.
Our individualized coaching services include:
The Executive Lean Certification program is designed for those who have greater responsibility for deploying Lean and managing Lean initiatives. The key focus is on corporate-wide topics such as strategy, people development, organizational problem solving, and leadership.
For more information on how to customize our programs for your organization, please visit our website here.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Catch of the Summer
“You’ll get a very good price for that salmon at a
local restaurant”, remarked the fishing guide. Selling his catch hadn’t
even entered David’s mind.
And so along with our whale watching excursion, the
LSI retreat of 2014 will be remembered as the summer that David reeled in a 35
pound rare white King (Chinook) salmon.
Appropriately, known as “Ivory Whites”, these
salmon differ from the red King Salmon. Among the species of salmon
caught in our Pacific Northwest waters, only the King salmon has the white
variety. This small percentage explains their $12 to $20 per
pound price tag. Known for their red or pink
flesh, salmon get this colouring from the carotene found in the shrimp and krill
that they eat. Ivory Kings have an extra enzyme that processes the
carotene instead of storing it. This unique pale salmon was typically
headed for the canning heap, but in recent times this fish (when chefs can get
it) is now found on the menus of prestigious restaurants from Seattle to New
York. With its milder tasting, melt-in-your-mouth, silky, buttery
texture, it has been described as a cross between Chilean Sea Bass and
Sea Perch. According to a New York Times article, Alaskan Feast, a purveyor in NY City, was one of the first companies to offer the fish. ''When we brought it in three years ago,'' said Dan Kim, a salesman, ''it was really hard to convince people to try it. Then they tasted it.' Now, it is difficult to bring in enough.”
Culinary advice on how to cook this rare delicacy
abound. Some chefs roast it slowly in an oven while others like to poach
it gently. For the LSI staff and their families, a simple smattering of
seasonings and onto the grill or into a steamer was the simplest and most
delicious way to go.
Thank you David! We dined like “Kings” this
past weekend.
Monday, August 18, 2014
Fall Greenbelt Programs 2014
We hope everyone is having a wonderful and enjoyable summer. Here are just a few of our favorite shots from our recent Spring and Summer Greenbelt Programs:
Our Fall programs are quickly approaching. Please contact us at info@leansensei.com, check out our website here or give us a call at 1-604-264-1000 for more information.
Module 1: September 7th – September 11th
Module 2: October 6th – October 10th
Module 3: November 3rd – November 7th
Greenbelt Service (Vancouver – Fall 2014)
Module 1: September 22nd – September 26th
Module 2: October 20th – October 24th
Module 3: November 17th – November 21st
Greenbelt Operations (Toronto – Fall 2014)
Module 1: September 29th – October 3rd
Module 2: October 27th – October 31st
Module 3: December 1st – December 5th
Greenbelt Operations (Edmonton – Fall 2014)
Module 1: October 6th – October 10th
Module 2: November 3rd – November 7th
Module 3: December 1st – December 5th
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Toyota Retires the Andon Cord!
The abolishment of the andon cord is a major shock because it has been coveted in North America as the ultimate symbol of true lean. A symbol of lean's capacity to empower employees to shamelessly ask for help, to prevent mistakes from being incorporated into the final product, to ensure the final product is immaculately pristine when it reaches the hands of the customer.
Yes. Toyota has abandoned the andon cord. Well, actually Toyota has kaizened the andon cord, opting for a wireless button. Ever true to lean, Toyota has upgraded to the wireless andon button to increase workplace safety and convenience.
Click here to read the full article.
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Thursday, July 31, 2014
Vancouver Festival of Lights
Did you know that Lean Sensei president is an avid photographer?
The photos below were taken by our very own David Chao from his boat.
Enjoy!
Monday, July 28, 2014
Takumi: Striving for Mastery and Lifelong Learning
One of the most important of the five key principles of lean thinking is Continuously Improve and Drive Towards Perfection. This principle of forever raising the bar (or standard) and striving for perfection is clearly illustrated in the celebrated documentary film “Jiro Dreams of Sushi”, which follows 85 year old sushi master Sukibayashi Jiro and his never ending push to improve even at his age. This story has been ‘doing the rounds’ at LSI, as we have been trying to get as many Lean practitioners as possible to check it out.
Jiro-san is a Takumi – a master at his craft. We recently met another type of takumi on our Japan Lean Tour but this time in the automotive industry. Although they were from an entirely different profession from that of a famous sushi chef, these takumi also embody the key principle of continuous improvement and lifelong learning that Jiro-san lives by.
One of the highlights of LSI’s Lean Japan Tour is a trip to Nissan Yokohama’s engine plant. The plant tour is always highly rated. It includes a full tour of the working plant featuring many great examples of Lean manufacturing, a guided tour of an engine museum and even a look at the first ever Datsun (the ‘former’ name for Nissan and recently revived sub-brand) vehicle ever produced.
All this is great, but hands down the most popular part of the tour is the special opportunity to visit the GT-R engine cleanroom, where participants have the rare opportunity to see and often to meet
face- to- face with the Nissan takumi – the Master craftsmen of the GT-R VR-38 engines.
First of all, the car: The GT-R is considered one of the most widely recognized and awarded sports cars of its time, winning such distinctions as Top Gear Supercarof the Year in 2007, Motor Trend car of the year in 2009 as well as being more recently recognized as having one of the best resale values of any sports car. Each GT-R, capable of 545 horsepower, contains a twin-turbocharged V6 engine, which was hand built by one of the Nissan engine plant takumi.
At last count there were only four certified takumi master craftsmen at the Nissan facility – just four men out of thousands who possess the talent and skill to build these high performance engines by hand. In fact, many of the activities requiring high precision, such as valve clearance are done entirely by feel – a skill that the takumi are able to utilize with their own sense of touch.
Takumi is a word that Lean Sensei also associates with its Lean Blackbelt program, as an invitation to strive for perfection – and the name is not chosen lightly. Those who are set on becoming Lean Blackbelt certified are invited to learn to become lean leaders who can take on cross-corporate challenges. Only through repeated practice and refinement can a Blackbelt aspire to become a true takumi which is finally the attainment of Master Blackbelt status.
To better understand the level of mastery required to become a takumi at Nissan, I recently spoke to the leader of the Nissan GT-R engine takumi, Kurosawa-san, at Nissan’s Yokohama facility when we were lucky enough to meet him during our Japan Lean Tour. Kurosawa-san has the unique distinction of being a takumi with the name “Takumi” which is a different Chinese character, but it is pronounced the same way as the word for Master. So, we got to meet with Takumi Takumi!
As leader of the Nissan takumi team, Takumi Kurosawa assembles GT-R engines as well as super GT 300 engines for the race circuit. He informed us that the takumi are not only responsible for the assembly, but also for guaranteeing the precision of the engine parts and their quality.
Kurosawa-san has welcomed many guests who have come from all over the world to view the cleanroom up close, including GT-R owners who want to meet the person who hand-built the engine for their very own car. Past visitors have included Jay Leno and other celebrities, not to mention a lot of Lean Sensei Blackbelt candidates along the way.
The first thing that struck us when we met Kurosawa-san was his enthusiasm for the work – he is obviously passionate about his craft and enjoys talking about the painstaking work that goes into each engine assembly. Each unit takes approximately 6 hours, involves nearly 400 different parts and is built entirely by one takumi from start to finish.
Even more impressive than his vast knowledge and skill was Kurosawa-san’s modest nature. At one point, one of the Blackbelt candidates asked him how many years of training it took to reach takumi status. “I am always learning, always training” was his response. In other words, although it takes a great deal of skill to reach the level of the takumi, it also takes the right attitude – one of relentlessly pursuing mastery and perfection…while never actually getting there. Keep on driving towards perfection!
-Coach Jake
Jiro-san is a Takumi – a master at his craft. We recently met another type of takumi on our Japan Lean Tour but this time in the automotive industry. Although they were from an entirely different profession from that of a famous sushi chef, these takumi also embody the key principle of continuous improvement and lifelong learning that Jiro-san lives by.
One of the highlights of LSI’s Lean Japan Tour is a trip to Nissan Yokohama’s engine plant. The plant tour is always highly rated. It includes a full tour of the working plant featuring many great examples of Lean manufacturing, a guided tour of an engine museum and even a look at the first ever Datsun (the ‘former’ name for Nissan and recently revived sub-brand) vehicle ever produced.
All this is great, but hands down the most popular part of the tour is the special opportunity to visit the GT-R engine cleanroom, where participants have the rare opportunity to see and often to meet
face- to- face with the Nissan takumi – the Master craftsmen of the GT-R VR-38 engines.
First of all, the car: The GT-R is considered one of the most widely recognized and awarded sports cars of its time, winning such distinctions as Top Gear Supercarof the Year in 2007, Motor Trend car of the year in 2009 as well as being more recently recognized as having one of the best resale values of any sports car. Each GT-R, capable of 545 horsepower, contains a twin-turbocharged V6 engine, which was hand built by one of the Nissan engine plant takumi.
At last count there were only four certified takumi master craftsmen at the Nissan facility – just four men out of thousands who possess the talent and skill to build these high performance engines by hand. In fact, many of the activities requiring high precision, such as valve clearance are done entirely by feel – a skill that the takumi are able to utilize with their own sense of touch.
Takumi is a word that Lean Sensei also associates with its Lean Blackbelt program, as an invitation to strive for perfection – and the name is not chosen lightly. Those who are set on becoming Lean Blackbelt certified are invited to learn to become lean leaders who can take on cross-corporate challenges. Only through repeated practice and refinement can a Blackbelt aspire to become a true takumi which is finally the attainment of Master Blackbelt status.
To better understand the level of mastery required to become a takumi at Nissan, I recently spoke to the leader of the Nissan GT-R engine takumi, Kurosawa-san, at Nissan’s Yokohama facility when we were lucky enough to meet him during our Japan Lean Tour. Kurosawa-san has the unique distinction of being a takumi with the name “Takumi” which is a different Chinese character, but it is pronounced the same way as the word for Master. So, we got to meet with Takumi Takumi!
As leader of the Nissan takumi team, Takumi Kurosawa assembles GT-R engines as well as super GT 300 engines for the race circuit. He informed us that the takumi are not only responsible for the assembly, but also for guaranteeing the precision of the engine parts and their quality.
Kurosawa-san has welcomed many guests who have come from all over the world to view the cleanroom up close, including GT-R owners who want to meet the person who hand-built the engine for their very own car. Past visitors have included Jay Leno and other celebrities, not to mention a lot of Lean Sensei Blackbelt candidates along the way.
The first thing that struck us when we met Kurosawa-san was his enthusiasm for the work – he is obviously passionate about his craft and enjoys talking about the painstaking work that goes into each engine assembly. Each unit takes approximately 6 hours, involves nearly 400 different parts and is built entirely by one takumi from start to finish.
Even more impressive than his vast knowledge and skill was Kurosawa-san’s modest nature. At one point, one of the Blackbelt candidates asked him how many years of training it took to reach takumi status. “I am always learning, always training” was his response. In other words, although it takes a great deal of skill to reach the level of the takumi, it also takes the right attitude – one of relentlessly pursuing mastery and perfection…while never actually getting there. Keep on driving towards perfection!
-Coach Jake
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Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Lean 101 for BC Food Producers Association
Great session today with BC Food Producers' Association.
This was a special session exclusively for this group. James Donaldson, CEO made a special appearance today too.
Ice breakers and team building
Contact info@leansensei.com to set-up Lean 101 customized for your group.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Congratulations Summer Hybrid Class!
Today, our summer Greenbelt class graduated. It was a wonderful celebration with sponsors cheering on their candidates who not only learned many useful lean tools, but also transformed as individuals. One Greenbelt even credited the program for becoming more organized in their personal life.
Congratulations! You are now the leaders of lean in your organization. Though today was the end of the program, it is just the beginning of your lean journey.
With sponsors
Organizations often send at least two candidates to a session so that the candidates can support each other and hold each other accountable during and after Greenbelt Mugen certification
Each class we select three medal winners- individuals who demonstrated passion and excelled during the kaizens, homework projects and on the final exam.
This session's Bronze medallist is Marvin
Silver medallist, Xochitl
And finally, our Gold medallist, Susan!
Congratulations! You are now the leaders of lean in your organization. Though today was the end of the program, it is just the beginning of your lean journey.
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