Lean implementation and continuous improvement that stick after the consultant leaves.
Whether you’re starting a lean implementation from scratch or restarting a continuous improvement program that has stalled, the challenge is the same. Most plants have tried lean in some form. The tools usually aren’t the problem: what fades is the habit. I help your team build the simple routines that make good performance the normal way of working: clear standards, short daily check-ins at the work, and problems solved at the root instead of patched.
This is for you if…
- Quality, scrap or yield is costing you, and fixes don’t hold.
- Every day starts with firefighting, and the same problems keep coming back.
- Improvement projects come and go without changing how people work day to day.
- You want lean results without a lean bureaucracy.
What we do.
Choose the few numbers that matter
One or two shared targets everyone can see and influence, such as first-pass yield or on-time delivery, instead of a wall of KPIs.
Make the standard clear
Simple, visual standard work for the jobs that matter most, written with the people who do them.
Check daily at the work
Short daily meetings at the board (daily management) so problems surface within hours, not weeks.
Solve problems at the root
Practical root-cause tools (5 Whys, 8D, statistical process control) taught on real problems, so the team keeps doing it.
Deliverables.
- Shared performance targets and visual tracking at the work
- Standard work for critical operations
- A daily and weekly management rhythm
- Supervisors and team leads trained in root-cause problem solving on your own problems
At a regulated manufacturer, focusing the team on first-pass yield and statistical process control cut costs by $750K a year and production hours by 12%. Earlier, as head of lean and continuous improvement during the Tesla Model S ramp, helped launch three new facilities with throughput up 50% and downtime down 80%.
Read the case study →Common questions.
“One of his greatest strengths is the ability to balance strategic oversight with hands-on leadership. He built a high-performing team, fostered a culture of continuous improvement, and ensured consistent alignment between production, quality assurance, and customer delivery.”
What does a lean implementation involve?
We start with one area where the pain is clear, put the basics in place (visible targets, standard work, daily check-ins and root-cause problem solving), prove the results, then spread the routines to the next area. Your own supervisors run it from the start, so it doesn’t depend on a consultant.
How do you build a continuous improvement culture that lasts?
By making improvement part of the daily job rather than a separate program: short daily meetings at the work, problems raised and solved by the people closest to them, and leaders who coach rather than fix. When improvement is how the shift runs, it survives turnover and changes in leadership.
Do we need to “go lean” across the whole company?
No. We start where the pain is and grow from results. The routines spread because they work, not because of a program launch.
Is this compatible with ISO and regulated quality systems?
Yes. Most of my experience is in regulated environments (ISO 13485, 14001, 45001, Health Canada, CFIA), and the improvements are built to fit your quality system.
Operations Diagnostic Assessment
A fixed-scope look at how your operation is really running: where results leak, why, and what to fix first.
Learn more →Value Stream Mapping
Walk the flow with your team, see the waste and delays plainly, and leave with a future-state plan people own.
Learn more →Interim & Fractional Operations Leadership
Experienced hands on the wheel: I run the operation while building the managers who will run it after I leave.
Learn more →