The Lean Global Connection 2024 wrapped up a couple of weeks ago, and we wanted to take this opportunity to share the sessions LEA contributed to during this year’s event with the wider lean community. Click to watch and learn more about each of the below sessions.
- Lean Transformation Research – 2024 Update with the Lean Enterprise Academy Team
- Lean in Legal: Applying Lean to Virtual Processes with Stephen Hepplestall, Business Change Project Manager – Weightmans
- Self-Reliant Problem Solving using 4 Step Rapid Problem Solving with Brian Chilton, Global Business Excellence Manager – TechnipFMC Umbilicals Ltd
At the end of this blog, discover how you can take your lean journey further by attending the UK Lean Summit, where you’ll gain practical insights and hands-on experience.
Lean Transformation Research – 2024 Update with the Lean Enterprise Academy Team
The Lean Enterprise Academy are a not for profit organisation, established to help customers become self-reliant on their lean journey. Through research, products and services we provide better, faster and cheaper ways to learn and improve. In this session, learn about LEA’s practical research on Lean Transformation, conducted directly with many organisational leaders and how this highlighted some of the common gaps they faced when applying Lean thinking and practice to their unique business problems.
One of the biggest transformation gaps identified was around understanding how to develop leadership capability to learn and teach Lean to others through real practice. Our session highlights the specific key problems and failures organisations experienced in capability development and showcased a proven example of how to help leaders develop their own skills through “learning by doing.” Watch the session below.
Lean in Legal: Applying Lean to Virtual Processes with Stephen Hepplestall, Business Change Project Manager – Weightmans
Weightmans is a leading UK law firm with over 1,400 professionals across nine offices, including Liverpool, London, and Manchester. Established in 1827, it provides expertise in commercial, employment, insurance, and real estate law, serving businesses, public sector organizations, and individuals. Recognised among the UK’s top 45 law firms, Weightmans is known for its commitment to client success and delivering tailored legal solutions.
In this session, Stephen explored how Weightmans transformed its new legal case intake process using the Lean Transformation Framework. As lean newcomers, Weightmans identified inefficiencies, eliminated bottlenecks, and built a management system to enhance their team’s capabilities and deliver greater value. They shared insights on improving both business operations and people development, demonstrating how any organisation can adopt lean principles for meaningful, impactful results. Watch the session from Stephen’s Lean Global Connection below.
Self-Reliant Problem Solving using 4 Step Rapid Problem Solving with Brian Chilton, Global Business Excellence Manager – TechnipFMC Umbilicals Ltd
TechnipFMC Umbilicals Ltd., based in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, specialises in designing and manufacturing subsea umbilical systems. These systems are essential for transmitting control, power, and communication between offshore oil and gas wells and production facilities. With over 40 years of experience, the company operates globally, serving clients across various regions.
In October 2023, TechnipFMC Umbilicals Ltd’s site director requested ‘problem-solving training’ to address asset downtime, which was impacting the business and causing longer-than-planned lead times. The site director recognized that similar problems were recurring and concluded that they were not reaching the root cause. The challenge was to develop problem-solving capability to help reduce asset downtime associated with maintenance and quality-related issues through robust root-cause analysis. Fast forward 12 months, Brian shared how TechnipFMC Umbilicals progressed and the outcomes of their efforts. Watch the session below.
Take Your Lean Journey Further
If the sessions from the Lean Global Connection 2024 have inspired you, why not take the next step and experience lean thinking in action? The UK Lean Summit 2025 is your chance to dive deeper into real-world applications, gain practical insights, and engage with like-minded professionals.
One of the highlights of the upcoming Summit will be Stephen Hepplestall’s keynote and learning session on Lean in Legal, where he and the team from Weightmans will share how they’ve continued their lean journey, building on their success in transforming legal case intake processes. You’ll hear firsthand about their ongoing challenges, key learnings, and the impact lean has had on both their operations and people development. You can explore the full agenda for the UK Lean Summit 2025 here.
Ready to take your lean journey further? Join us in Liverpool on the 8-9 April 2025 and learn how lean can transform your organisation too.