The Lean Journeys: Global Stories webinar hosted by Victor Rodriguez, Director of Operations at Kaizen Institute North America, joined industry experts who delved into the depths and diversities of Lean and Continuous Improvement practices within the Oil & Gas, Manufacturing, and Pharmaceutical industries. The webinar featured Kelly McKinnon, Global Manufacturing Excellence-Lean and TPM Lead at Shell; David  Caballero, Lean Capabilities Director at Kohler; and Sameh Botros, Continuous Improvement Director at Delpharm Montreal. The discussion covered various topics, including the challenges and opportunities in Lean implementation, Lean success stories, cultivating a continuous improvement culture, future trends and digital transformation, and more. We have summed up the key takeaways from this enlightening discussion.

“Continuous improvement is no longer a luxury in our industry but a must to survive.” – Sameh Botros: Continuous Improvement Director at Delpharm Montreal.

Challenges and Opportunities

The implementation of Lean methodologies faces significant challenges, namely resistance to change. David Caballero highlighted this issue, noting that people often struggle to understand Lean principles and fear disruption to established workflows. Kelly McKinnon emphasized the need for clear communication and making Lean relatable to alleviate these concerns. Additionally, Sameh Botros pointed out the critical need for senior management support, by comparing the lack of it to an effort similar to “pushing Jell-O.” Despite these challenges, overcoming them can lead to substantial organizational improvements. Strong leadership and a culture of continuous improvement can transform resistance into positive change, enhanced efficiency, reduced costs, and performance improvements.

“Resistance to change is one of the biggest challenges we run into, but I truly believe that as leaders, once we help teams understand why we need to be more agile, more flexible, we can actually start outperforming some of our competitors.” – David Caballero, Lean Capabilities Director at Kohler.

Lean Success Stories

Implementing Lean methodologies across industries has yielded a wealth of success stories, demonstrating the significant benefits and transformative potential of these practices. Sameh Botros highlighted Delpharm Montreal’s implementation of a daily management system, which significantly enhanced operational efficiency and led to a record year in revenue. Kelly McKinnon discussed Shell’s successful rollout of the single-minute exchange of die (SMED) initiative, achieving a 50% reduction in changeover time and improving asset utilization. David Caballero shared Kohler’s Lean Challenge summer intern program, which boosted labor productivity and safety and achieved “(…) with year-on-year accident reductions of 20% for three consecutive years”. These examples show how disciplined Lean practices drive substantial organizational benefits, enhance efficiency, and support workforce development.

“(…) some of the tangible results that we got over 1800 days without recordable accidents or incidents, with reductions of 20% year over year, for three years in a row, labor productivity, double digits, three years in a row. So, the results are there. It’s just also about investing in the talent.” – David Caballero, Lean Capabilities Director at Kohler.

Continuous Improvement Culture

Following the discussion on Lean success stories, the discussion evolved to the process of fostering a continuous improvement culture, which is vital for sustaining Lean initiatives in the long term. Sameh Botros stressed that integrating daily management processes with visual management and standardized problem-solving methodologies helps identifying and addressing inefficiencies. David Caballero highlighted the critical role of leadership in engaging hearts and minds, emphasizing transparent communication, clear expectations, and aligned priorities. Kelly McKinnon noted that celebrating small successes and implementing incremental changes, using the plan-do-check-adjust cycle, maintains momentum and employee engagement. Involving employees in the continuous improvement process fosters ownership and commitment to Lean principles, ensuring their long-term effectiveness.

“So definitely, I typically like to start with the fundamental source solid daily management process with some visual management on the shop floor and on the site. That for me is key.” – Sameh Botros: Continuous Improvement Director at Delpharm Montreal, on his approach to sustaining a Continuous Improvement culture.

Future Trends and Digital Transformation

The integration of advanced technologies and digital transformation has become crucial for the future of Lean methodologies, promising to drive significant advancements in efficiency and continuous improvement practices. Technologies such as AI, virtual reality, and advanced data analytics are expected to drive substantial advancements. David Caballero stressed the importance of effectively using vast amounts of data to improve products, reduce component proliferation, and optimize processes. Kelly McKinnon highlighted the role of digital tools in enhancing operational efficiency, waste elimination, and productivity boosts. She also stressed the need for cost-effectiveness and proper change management. Sam Botros emphasized integrating data into daily management systems to drive actionable results and cautioned against adopting digital tools without precise business needs.

“I can share Shell’s experience has been that digital tools are absolutely essential. But we’ve also had to really reflect on what is the pace at which we can actually adopt those and effectively utilize those.” – Kelly McKinnon, Global Manufacturing Excellence-Lean and TPM Lead at Shell.

Sustainability and Lean

Integrating sustainability principles into Lean practices has become increasingly relevant, highlighting the natural alignment between eliminating waste and achieving environmental and operational efficiency goals. David Caballero noted, “If we part ways from the simple definition of Lean to the relentless search for waste elimination… we can definitely tie and identify a lot of opportunities when it comes to sustainability programs.” He provided examples like using reusable containers and optimizing high energy consumption processes. Sam Botros stated, “the core of Lean is looking for waste and eliminating it,” linking it to reducing energy consumption and Delpharm’s carbon footprint. Kelly McKinnon added, “the relentless pursuit of waste is to look at how do you minimize these things,” underscoring Shell’s shift to low-carbon solutions and efficient resource use.

“So if we part ways from the simple definition of Lean to the relentless search for waste elimination, right? I think we can definitely tie and identify a lot of opportunities when it comes to sustainability programs” – David Caballero: Lean Capabilities Director at Kohler.

Remote Work and Lean

The shift to remote work, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has introduced new challenges and opportunities for maintaining Lean practices. Sameh Botros emphasized the difficulty of implementing Lean in remote settings, mainly manufacturing, stating, “There’s no replacement to being on the shop floor and seeing where the true work happens.” Kelly McKinnon highlighted the need for a “fit-for-purpose balance” between remote and on-site work to maintain productivity and safety. David Caballero stressed the importance of leveraging digital tools and clear communication for remote collaboration, noting that some roles still require in-person presence for optimal effectiveness.

“From a safety perspective, you need to support people day to day with the dilemmas that they face, and that cannot be done remotely. And so, it’s really about making sure you have a fit for purpose balance, depending on the type of work that you do and that balance affords you a simple approach, that it has a disciplined approach and it drives performance in the right direction.” – Kelly McKinnon, Global Manufacturing Excellence-Lean and TPM Lead at Shell.

The Lean Journeys: Global Stories Webinar emphasized that organizations can sustain their success and enhance competitiveness by adopting a strategic approach, fostering effective communication, and maintaining a steadfast commitment to continuous improvement. Leveraging Lean methodologies through these principles enables organizations to navigate and thrive amidst dynamic industry changes.

When asked about their vision for the future of Lean, the speakers provided insightful perspectives that emphasized the critical principles of Lean and CI. Kelly McKinnon envisions a future for Lean focused on “relentlessly removing waste” and building resilience with “simplicity, performance, and discipline.” Similarly, Sam Botros emphasizes Lean’s permanence and the need for “rigor and discipline,”. Moreover, David Caballero highlights continuous improvement with “every team every day” seeking ways to enhance and improve work while advocating for an open-minded approach and ongoing development.