Gemba walk during Lean audit
confirms measurable improvements across all business-critical dimensions, such as employee engagement, structural stability, sorting quality, equipment reliability, and operational productivity. Four focus factories of Norway’s leading environmental service company Norsk Gjenvinning (NG) are regularly audited by Leanmap to measure Lean progression and correlate maturity gains with performance gains. By doing so, those Gemba walks and assessments audits help the team identifying new opportunities, while receiving expert advice and coaching feedback to get ready for the next improvement cycle.
Industry 4.0 meets Lean
NG’s brownfield operations have been upgraded with latest Industrial Internet Of Things (IIOT) devices to bring existing lines and equipment online. Shredder, sorter, press, shearer, and other key equipment continuously record health and performance data in the central database. Having key information available near real-time allows the operations team to detect and correct deviations much faster than ever before. Lesson learned: Combining Lean thinking with Industry 4.0 technology can be extremely powerful. It allows transforming brownfield operations, bringing them into the 21st century of manufacturing in the Digital Factory, while unlocking hidden performance gains. Most of NG’s focus factories attained Silver level with a maturity score of 3.0 or higher per Lean Factory Audit, while the leading plant near Fredrikstad (internal Lean benchmark) is preparing for Silver-Gold, to attain 3.5 maturity score. In average, the four focus factories matured +16%, while raising productivity +25% over the past 20 months alone. The journey continues!
Facts & Figures
- Type: Lean Transformation
- Client: Norsk Gjenvinning
- Role: Navigator & Trainer
- Period: 20-month cycle
- Scope: 4 focus factories
- Maturity: +16% (6…28%)
- Productivity: +25% (8…40%)
- Client feedback: 4.8/5 or 96%
Client Feedback
"Excellent session, specifically the feedback during plant walks, review of self-audit, fault tree training session and discussions for learning and understanding."
Lean Program Manager
"Efficient, and very experienced auditor. Understand the status of the facilities during a quick walk-through. Very structured and experienced firm with high-level consultants, who quickly understand the needs of the company."
Lean Manager
"The session was very good. It confirmed that we are on the right path and it's clear now what to do next."
Plant Manager
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