PHASE 1 – LEAN MATURITY, TRAINING & OPERATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY ASSESSMENT
PHASE 1 – LEAN MATURITY, TRAINING & OPERATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY ASSESSMENT
Phase 1 includes both a lean maturity assessment and foundational lean training (Lean 101 and Lean Yellowbelt).
Lean is a proven strategy for engaging employees to deliver more value to customers in less time and, with less effort. The core concepts of Lean aim to create a better flow of information, product or service and to spend more time adding value and less time on wasteful activities. The first step is to conduct a current state analysis to determine the most productive way forward.
Lean Maturity Assessment (1–2 Days On-Site)
Each participating company begins with a structured Lean Maturity Assessment based on a comprehensive evaluation framework.
The assessment reviews organizational capability across key Lean dimensions:
- Lean Strategy & Deployment
- Business Systems & Information Flow
- Lean Leadership Engagement
- People Development & Training
- Lean Culture & Employee Empowerment
- Collaborative Working
- Delivery of Value & Value Stream Performance
- Standard Work & Process Alignment
- Process Flow & Demand Alignment
- Process Control & Root Cause Reduction
LEAN MATURITY ASSESSMENT REPORT
Participants receive a Lean Maturity Assessment Report identifying:
- Current state maturity
- Organizational strengths
- Capability gaps
- Priority areas for development
This assessment establishes the foundation for training focus and improvement planning.
LEAN TRAINING
Lean 101 – Introduction to Lean (1 Day)
Lean 101 builds foundational understanding and shared language across leadership and operations. CME’s Lean training is interactive and “hands-on” so participants learn by doing.
Topics include:
- Lean philosophy and foundational thinking
- Lean principles and mindset
- Value vs. non-value-added work
- Identification of Lean waste
- Gemba Walk methodology
- Flow and pull concepts
- Basic problem solving
- Introduction to standard work
Participants receive a recognized Lean certification upon completion.
Lean Yellowbelt – Food Operations (1 Day On-line; 4 Days In-Person)
A structured, hands-on program tailored specifically to food and beverage processing environments.
Core topics include:
- Identifying wastes in food manufacturing
- Value Stream Mapping (VSM) and Traceability
- 5S integrated with GMP and food safety
- Standard Work and SOP alignment
- Huddle meetings and communication systems
- Structured problem solving and root cause analysis
- Manufacturing case study (final applied exam)
This training emphasizes direct application within real operations.
Participants receive recognized Lean Yellowbelt certification upon successful completion
Assessment and Improvement
On-Site Improvement Sessions (3–5 Days)
Following training, companies participate in facilitated on-site improvement sessions focused on:
- Live process mapping
- Bottleneck analysis
- Waste elimination
- Workflow redesign
- Standardization opportunities
- Root cause elimination
Operational Productivity Assessment Report (End of Phase 1)
At the conclusion of Phase 1, participants receive a detailed Operational Productivity Assessment Report that includes:
- Documented improvement opportunities
- Immediate efficiency actions
- Short-term process improvements
- Longer-term capital and technology recommendations
- Potential automation or digitization opportunities
This report forms the basis for eligibility consideration under Phase 2.
Both companies proceeding to phase 2 and companies who choose to exit the program after one phase will have a follow up consultation three months after completing phase 1.
CONTACT US
Mehdi Gohardehi
Lean Facilitator, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters
Mehdi.Gohardehi@cme-mec.ca
236-660-7838
Funded in part by the Government of Canada under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative and by the BC Government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
Seafood businesses are solely funded by the B.C. Government.
