The UK Lean Summit 2025 is set to be a transformative two-day event, bringing together lean practitioners and leaders from across industries to explore cutting-edge practices, share experiences, and drive improvement efforts.
The key question we are asking at the Summit is “How can lean thinking and practice help us navigate the key problems facing us today?” We are continuing the 7 themes presented at last year’s Summit:
- The productivity challenge.
- Supply chain disruption.
- The environmental crisis.
- The growing use of digital.
- Managing inflation and the cost-of-living crisis
- Talent development and retention
- Developing new products and services to deliver value for customers.
For the 2025 event, we welcome a number of keynote speakers. Firstly, former Vice President of Information Systems at Toyota Motor Europe and Chief of Global Strategy at Toyota Systems Corporation in Nagoya, Japan, Pierre Masai of Lean Enterprise Belgium. Pierre will share insights into the integration of Obeya and Lean IT, a vital strategy for aligning teams and improving workflows.
We’ve invited Oliver Conger, the Managing Director of British Rototherm to tell us about their lean journey and the Welsh Government sponsored Lean Clusters programme in collaboration with the Toyota Lean Management Centre (TLMC). We will also welcome back the TLMC team. This year, Steve Nelson’s (Lean Coach at TLMC) keynote is about the Floor Management Development Style (FMDS) and how Toyota defines roles and activities throughout its management system. Rounding off day 1 we have Jim Womack with us again to tell us what he has seen and learned over the last 12 months and his reflections on lean thinking and practice.
On day 2 we have keynotes from a wide variety of environments. Stephen Hepplestall will discuss how Weightmans are moving beyond the case shared in 2024 to widen their activities across the organisation. Oriol Cuatrecasas will explain how lean is being applied in hotels and the hospitality sector and Mark Reich will share reflections on his time responsible for coordinating Toyota North America’s Hoshin Kanri activity and the launch of his book on the subject.
The plenary sessions are complemented by Learning Sessions. Delegates can choose two learning sessions per day. Each is 90 minutes long and offer the opportunity to discuss keynote talks in more detail or join separate learning session topics. This year there will be the opportunity to attend 4 of 12 learning sessions. Pierre Masai and Haiyan Bai will discuss Obeya and Lean IT. Lean Product and Process Development is covered by Professor Yu-Hsiu (Josh) Hung from Taiwan. Professor Nick Rich and Doctoral student Alisha Gibbons from the University of Swansea will lead on engaging undergraduates in lean thinking.
We have a Toyota learning session with Toyota Lean Management Centre. A learning session to discuss the hospitality sector. Mike Moore is with us again this year to do a practical workshop on Kaizen and AI. Stephen Hepplestall will discuss Lean in Legal in more detail and we have a new experiment where we are asking organisations to bring their cases and share them in 40 minutes with questions and discussion (Sharing Sessions). Finally, running through the Learning Sessions, the LEA team will conduct sessions around 4 of the 5 dimensions of the Lean Transformation Framework.
The 2025 event promises to be the largest we have organised in terms of speakers and sessions. We think there’s really something for everyone, irrespective of your level on your lean journey. We hope you will join us in April. See you in Liverpool.
Take Advantage of our Early Bird Discount
The UK Lean Summit 2025 is shaping up to be an another extraordinary event, offering unparalleled opportunities to learn, network, and deepen your understanding of lean thinking and practice. With a diverse lineup of keynote speakers, interactive learning sessions, and thought-provoking discussions, there’s something for everyone – whether you’re new to lean or a seasoned practitioner.
Don’t miss out on for what promises to be the standout lean event of the year. Early bird pricing is available until 31st January 2025, so secure your spot today and take the next step in your lean journey.
