Lean Manufacturing and Process Optimization Training Course

Course overview

A production line rarely fails because people work too slowly; it stalls because material waits between steps, changeovers run long, and problems get passed downstream instead of stopped at the source. This course takes the shop-floor view of that problem, tracing how work actually moves from raw material to finished goods and where time, inventory, and motion quietly accumulate. Drawing on the Toyota Production System, it treats waste as something you can see, measure against takt time, and remove one process at a time.

Across twelve units you will connect the vocabulary of lean to concrete decisions: reading a current-state value stream map to find the constraint, sizing a kanban loop so a pull system replaces overproduction, and using SMED to turn a two-hour die change into single-digit minutes. The emphasis stays on flow and the discipline of standard work, so the tools reinforce each other instead of arriving as a disconnected toolkit.

Why this matters

Manufacturers compete on delivery reliability and cost as much as on the product itself, and both are decided on the line. When flow is uneven, plants carry buffer inventory to hide the variation, which ties up cash and masks the real causes of delay. Mura, the unevenness in a schedule, and muri, the overburden it places on people and equipment, feed the more visible seven wastes of muda, so treating only the symptoms leaves the underlying instability in place. Level scheduling through heijunka and honest measurement through OEE give operations leaders a way to expose that instability instead of paying to conceal it.

The methods here also travel well beyond automotive assembly, where they were codified. Food processing, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and heavy fabrication all rely on the same logic of pull, quick changeover, and building quality into the process through jidoka and poka-yoke. Firms that make this thinking routine tend to respond faster to demand shifts because their systems are designed to run in smaller batches. For a broader view of how these practices fit alongside cost, quality, and delivery goals, the Operational Excellence and Process Optimization course sets a useful frame.

What you will be able to do afterwards

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Map current- and future-state value streams toward takt time
• Distinguish the seven wastes from mura and muri
• Size and operate a kanban pull system to limit WIP
• Plan a SMED changeover separating internal from external setup
• Establish 5S and standard work so improvements hold
• Read OEE, cycle-time, and takt data to target the true constraint

Course outline

Unit 1: Introduction to Lean Manufacturing and Optimization

• Toyota Production System origins: batch-and-queue to flow
• Three enemies of a stable process: muda, mura, muri
• Five lean principles: value to perfection via kaizen
• Takt time: linking customer demand to line pace

Unit 2: Value Stream Mapping and Process Analysis

• Current-state map symbols: process, data, inventory
• Cycle time, changeover time, uptime, lead time capture
• Value-added time vs waiting and rework in lead time
• Future-state map: continuous flow and pacemaker process

Unit 3: Waste Elimination Techniques

• Seven types of waste: overproduction, transport, motion
• 5S for visible abnormal conditions at the workstation
• Focused kaizen events for time-boxed gap closure
• Root-cause questioning to prevent waste recurrence

Unit 4: Process Redesign and Optimization

• Line balancing against takt time across operators
• Isolated stations to one-piece flow cells
• Motion and transport reduction via layout adjustments
• Standard work as the baseline for future improvement

Unit 5: Lean Tools and Techniques

• Kanban signals and supermarkets triggering replenishment
• SMED: internal vs external setup reduction
• Heijunka: leveling production mix and volume
• Visual management for at-a-glance floor status

Unit 6: Quality and Six Sigma Integration

• Jidoka: automatic line stop on defect detection
• Poka-yoke devices preventing errors becoming defects
• Statistical process control alongside lean flow
• Lean and structured problem solving on variation

Unit 7: Technology and Automation in Lean Operations

• Digital andon and electronic kanban as visual control
• Sensor data driving real-time OEE loss attribution
• Low-cost automation supporting jidoka without overbuild
• Automation: stabilizing process vs hardening waste

Unit 8: Supply Chain and Lean Logistics

• Pull and kanban to cut buffer stock in inbound supply
• Water-spider and milk-run routes for paced delivery
• Supermarket sizing and reorder points to protect flow
• Supplier changeover capability and delivery frequency

Unit 9: Safety, Compliance, and Sustainability

• 5S and standard work to remove clutter hazards
• Unplanned stoppages and rework as safety risks
• Material, energy, and scrap waste reduction
• Documented standards aligned with regulatory, audit needs

Unit 10: Change Management in Lean Transformation

• Kaizen culture: operators surfacing and solving problems
• Resistance to standard work replacing old habits
• Leader standard work and gemba walks in sustaining change
• Supervisors as coaches, not daily-crisis expediters

Unit 11: Measuring and Monitoring Performance

• OEE calculation: availability, performance, quality
• Lead time, WIP, and first-pass yield tracking
• Actual output vs takt time for hidden pace losses
• Tiered visual boards for performance and countermeasures

Unit 12: Capstone Lean and Optimization Project

• Sample value stream analysis for primary constraint
• Lean tools for mapped waste and unevenness
• Future-state design with takt, flow, and OEE targets
• Implementation plan and stakeholder presentation

How the course is delivered

The course unfolds through walk-throughs of documented value-stream maps, moderated discussion of a plant's takt-time and cycle-time data, and paper-based line-balancing exercises using sample figures. Worked examples carry the concepts, so you interpret real maps and figures and reason through the trade-offs together instead of watching equipment run. This course is educational; it does not certify a production system or grant a professional engineering qualification.

Who should attend

The course suits production and manufacturing engineers, plant and operations managers, continuous-improvement leads, and shop-floor supervisors who own the flow of work and are accountable for output, quality, and delivery. It also serves quality and logistics professionals who touch the value stream and want a shared lean vocabulary with the people running the line.

About EuroQuest International Training

EuroQuest International Training opened in 2015 and runs its work from Bratislava, Slovakia. The provider today lists over a thousand professional courses and has taught an audience numbering beyond 15,000 to date. Teaching takes place at its centers in Dubai, Vienna, Istanbul, Geneva, and London, letting delegates choose a venue that fits their travel without any change in the standard of instruction.

Frequently asked questions

Will I receive a certificate after completing this course?

Yes. Delegates who finish the course are awarded the EuroQuest International Training Certificate of Completion, It records attendance and the topics covered, and is recognized internally by many employers as evidence of professional development. It is not a license to certify a production system.

Do I need prior lean experience to follow the material?

No. We build up from the basics, introducing takt time, pull, and the seven wastes before applying them, so newcomers can keep pace while experienced practitioners still gain from the value-stream and SMED work.

Is the course tied to one industry?

No. The examples lean toward discrete manufacturing, but value stream mapping, kanban, 5S, and heijunka apply equally in process industries, fabrication, and mixed-model plants, and the discussion draws on that range.

Related courses

Delegates strengthening their operational-excellence toolkit often continue with these related EuroQuest courses:

• Lean Six Sigma for Operational Excellence
• Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) Implementation
• Industrial Engineering and Productivity Improvement
• Six Sigma for Quality Enhancement

Register for this course

Places on each scheduled session are limited so that discussion stays focused. Reserve a seat by contacting EuroQuest International Training through the details on this page.