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Learn lean manufacturing: Everything we know about running a better plant
Everything LeanSuite publishes to help you run a better plant: blogs, e-books, case studies, problem guides, free calculators and the newsletter.
Blogs
Practical lean and continuous improvement advice you can use on the floor this week.
294 articles →
Lean in 7 days
A free email course on lean basics: seven short lessons, one each working day, from the 8 wastes and gemba walks to 5S, standard work, daily huddles, problem solving and kaizen.
7 lessons →
Topics
Our guides sorted into ten subjects, from kaizen and root cause analysis to TPM, 5S, quality and safety, each with a short answer and where to start.
10 topics →
E-Books
Longer guides to download and share with your team, from 5S to loss and cost management.
10 guides →
Case Studies
How manufacturers run their improvement programs on LeanSuite, with the results they published.
Explore →
Problems We Solve
Start from the problem on your floor: what it looks like, why the usual fixes fade, and how to close it.
12 problem guides →
Glossary
Plain definitions of the lean terms you hear on the floor, from 5S and OEE to takt time, with links to in-depth guides.
Explore →
Acronyms
What WCM, OEE, TPM, DOWNTIME, RACI, PDCA, DMAIC and the other letters you hear on the floor stand for, each in a line or two.
82 acronyms →
Japanese Lean Terms
Kaizen, gemba, muda, nemawashi, the five S words and more: the Japanese, how to say each one, and what it means word for word and in lean.
35 terms →
CI Careers
Job descriptions to copy, interview questions with what a good answer covers, skills, KPIs and career paths for continuous improvement roles.
7 roles →
Examples
Illustrated examples sorted by type: poka-yoke devices, one point lessons, DMAIC projects and employee rewards, each card with what it does and where you would see it.
4 galleries →
Statistics
Sourced figures and downloadable benchmark charts on downtime, maintenance, quality, safety, skills and engagement, each linked to the report it comes from.
Explore →
Kaizen Ideas
Practical improvement ideas for production, maintenance, quality, the warehouse, safety and the office, each with the problem it fixes, the effort and a free template.
120 ideas →
Lean Playbooks by Industry
For food and beverage, automotive and industrial equipment plants: the problems on the floor, the lean methods for each, a 90-day plan and the KPIs to track.
3 playbooks →
ROI Calculator
Put your own numbers in and see what a digital lean program is worth to your plant.
Explore →
Lean Maturity Assessment
Score your site on 24 statements across leadership, daily management, standard work, problem solving, CI culture, flow, quality and people, and see where to start.
Explore →
Free Tools
Free calculators for OEE, downtime cost, SMED changeovers, takt, cycle and lead time, line balancing, first pass yield, the cost of poor quality, Cp and Cpk, and MTBF, each with its formula and a worked example.
Explore →
Free Templates
Printable templates for the lean, safety, quality and maintenance work teams do every week, from a 5S audit, a gemba walk and an A3 to a JSA, a LOTO procedure, an NCR form, a CAPA log, a PM checklist, a PPAP checklist, a supplier scorecard, a control chart, a Gage R&R study, a hoshin X-matrix and a maintenance KPI tracker, as PDF and, for one hundred and forty-four of them, Excel.
161 templates →
Free Training Decks
Editable PowerPoint sessions for team leaders, with speaker notes, an activity and check questions: 5S, kaizen, the 8 wastes, autonomous maintenance, TPM, gemba walks, root cause analysis, world class manufacturing, obeya and DMAIC.
10 decks →
Free Posters
Printable posters for plant walls and team boards in four series, safety, quality, environment and lean: lockout steps, PPE by zone, PDCA, the 5 whys, the waste hierarchy, 5S, the 8 wastes, TPM and more. Vector PDF up to 24 x 36 in, plus a free PNG.
31 posters →
Newsletter
One useful idea for plant and CI leaders, straight to your inbox.
Explore →
Podcast
Short episodes on lean and the shop floor: where rollouts stall, why fixes don't stick, where to start. Listen on the drive in.
Explore →
Video series: What I'm Hearing in CI
Short videos from our conversations with CI leaders and lean consultants: what they help plants with, why improvements fade, and what gets harder across sites.
Explore →
Videos: The LeanSuite Crew
Short videos that follow a plant team through everyday shop floor problems: why closed actions come back, how to find the real cause, what makes a fix hold. New episodes appear here as they go up on YouTube.
Explore →
Method guides: The 6 Ms of production · Poka-yoke · Model area 90-day plans · Leader standard work
New to lean? Take Lean in 7 days at your own pace
Seven short lessons on lean basics. Each ends with one thing to do on your floor that day. Free. Sign up to keep your place on your own course page.
See all seven lessonsFinished the course? Get a free certificate
Finished the lessons? Pass a 14 question knowledge check (12 right to pass, retakes as often as you like) and take the lean maturity assessment. You get a certificate page to share, a badge for LinkedIn and your own assessment result.
A certificate of completion for a free course, not an accredited qualification.
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