Learn
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.
New to lean? Start here
- 17 lessons
Lean in 7 days
A free email course: short lessons on the basics, each with one thing to do on your floor. Read the lessons - 210 topics
The topic guides
From lean basics and kaizen to root cause analysis, TPM, 5S, quality and safety, each with a short answer and where to go next. See the topics
Blogs
Practical lean and continuous improvement advice you can use on the floor this week.
324 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 →
Lean Books
The lean, Toyota, kaizen, TPM, quality and strategy books worth reading, chosen on stated criteria, each with a plain summary, where it is dated, a way to use it on Monday and who should skip it.
29 books →
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.
84 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, employee rewards, SMED changeovers and autonomous maintenance, each card with what it does and where you would see it.
6 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
From food and beverage and automotive to pharmaceuticals, metals, chemicals and aerospace: the problems on the floor, the lean methods for each, a 90-day plan and the KPIs to track.
19 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 27 statements across leadership, daily management, standard work, problem solving, CI culture, flow, quality, people and safety, 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 ninety-four of them, Excel.
260 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.
145 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
Ten characters from one plant take on a real shop floor problem every day: why closed actions come back, how to find the real cause, what makes a fix hold. A full episode and three Shorts a day, with the free templates and guides each one uses.
Explore →
Everything is free. Some files ask for an email first
- Decision
Reading or calculating?
- Yes:
- Open to everyone: articles, topic guides, the glossary, the statistics page and the calculators.
- No:
- Go to the next question.
- Decision
Downloading a file?
- Yes:
- The e-books and templates ask for your name and work email before you download them.
- No:
- Nothing to fill in.
Method guides: The 6 Ms of production · Poka-yoke · Model area 90-day plans · Moving from Excel to one system · Reducing machine downtime: a worked month · Andon · Cycle time vs lead time, worked through · Root cause analysis · How many operators a line needs · Reducing scrap and rework: a worked month · Unsafe acts and unsafe conditions · Just culture · Stop-work authority · Material review board (MRB) · Nonconformance and NCRs · Problem solving methods · Quad chart · OEE calculation · Quality assurance vs quality control · SOP meaning and format · Job hazard analysis · Near miss reporting · Fishbone diagram · Pareto chart · Histogram · Control chart · What is a gemba walk · What is lead time · What is operational excellence · How to improve product quality · Preventive vs predictive maintenance · Kanban · FMEA · PDSA cycle · Safety moments · Just-in-time manufacturing · Kaizen · 5S · Total quality management (TQM) · CAPA (corrective and preventive action) · Layered process audit (LPA) · Lean tools · Lockout tagout (LOTO) · A3 problem solving · Preventive maintenance · APQP · High reliability organization (HRO) · Manufacturing KPIs · Quality metrics · Practical problem solving · CMMS · Risk assessment · Production efficiency · Total productive maintenance (TPM) · Reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) · Hierarchy of controls · Personal protective equipment (PPE) · Emergency action plan · Safety signs · Warehouse safety · ISO 9001 · SIPOC diagram · Rolling action item list (RAIL) · Pugh matrix · Flowchart · Project charter · ISO 9001:2026 · Fleet maintenance · Leader standard work
New to the category? What is continuous improvement software?
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.
FAQs
About the Learn hub
Start with Lean in 7 days, a free email course: seven short lessons on the basics, each with one thing to do on your floor, also readable at theleansuite.com/learn/lean-in-7-days. Then the topic guides: ten subjects from lean basics and kaizen to root cause analysis, TPM, 5S, quality and safety, each with a short answer and where to go next. The glossary at theleansuite.com/learn/glossary defines the terms you hear on the floor.
Yes. Articles, topic guides, the glossary, the statistics page and the calculators are open to everyone. The e-books and templates ask for your name and work email before you download them.
Each figure on the statistics page links to the report it comes from, covering downtime, maintenance, quality, safety, skills and engagement. We don't present them as LeanSuite results.
Yes. The templates are free to download, edit and print. Every calculator except the ROI calculator can be embedded on a course page or intranet with a short code snippet.
Sign up for the newsletter: one useful idea for plant and CI leaders, straight to your inbox. There is also a podcast with short episodes on lean and the shop floor, for the drive in.
Rather see it on your own problem?
Bring the problem you are stuck on, and we will show you on a call how LeanSuite handles it.
Book a 45-minute demo