BEM Lean Training and Certification

Develop Your People to Be Lean Experts

The team at BEM-CA offers, in addition to its delivery of client solutions, rigorous and
comprehensive training on Lean methods - plus Lean certification opportunities for those who
complete the training requirements. This is an option for companies that want to develop their
people to manage their Lean implementation.
The BEM-CA Lean training and certification program is an attractive option for companies
that might be reluctant to bear the cost of engaging BEM consultants directly for their Lean
transformation.
It is possible to have representation from two or more companies in a single class, thus
sharing the cost between them.

The students win and the students employers win

Lean is not an activity to be practiced by a single person. BEM-CA recognizes that students
and their employers get the best return on their investment of time and effort if the employers
play an active role in the training.
We take a unique approach to our training by involving the students employer as we make
the student a more valuable resource. This establishes a situation where both the student and
the employer gain important benefits.

Students
Gain important skills that stay with you wherever you go in your career.
Improve your earnings potential.
Prepare yourself for leadership.
Gain new insights into where opportunities for improvement are in your companys
operations.
Learn to see the problems you live with on your job as opportunities that can be solved.
 Gain a sense of accomplishment for making a tangible impact on your company.

Employers
The employer who sponsors students of Lean stands to gain significant and tangible
operational gains. While actual results will vary depending on the state of the operation and
the competitive climate, over time, an employer can see improvements along the following
lines:
Better alignment between company policies and work activities
Flexibility to react to changes
Insight to capitalize on opportunities in your operation
People work as a team
Visibility of your operations capability
Visibility of where the improvement opportunities are
Motivated employees who see the big picture

Employer Involvement
BEM provides the employer opportunities to get involved with the Lean training at a number
of points throughout the program. The most significant opportunity is during the intersession
projects that are assigned.

Figure 1 (above): Lean training takes place one week per month over a period of six months.
Projects that apply the lessons learned from the training are assigned to be worked at the
students place of employment during the 3-week intervals between classes.
Each week of training introduces new methods that are taught and then practiced during the
class using simulations. At the conclusion of the classroom week, each student is assigned
projects that require using the newly introduced methods at the students worksite.
Best results are achieved when employers participate in -day debriefs on progress made by
students at the begging of each weekly session.

Hands-on simulations. The in-class training material contains many detailed hands-on
simulations that allow the student to learn by doing. The simulations comprise at least 60% of
the in-class training.
Combining in-class training with real world experience. Trainees are given assignments to
be completed at their worksites during the three-week intervals between training modules.
This gives them a chance to apply lessons learned during the classroom sessions. The Lean
experts at BEM will make themselves available to students during the interim to answer any
questions or concerns they may have.

Figure 2 (Above): Each week of classroom training is followed by three weeks of

assignments where the student is to apply the lessons learned in their work environment. The
first half-day of the next training weeks are dedicated to allowing the students and their
employers to share their experiences with the other students and their employers.

1st year improvement goals for the

employer who sponsors a Lean
trainee for certification

50%-75% reduction in WIP

50%- 75% quality defects
50% in throughput time
100% improvement in Safety

Everybody wins. It should be noted that the employer who sends the trainee to the Lean
training realizes the significant benefits of these Lean activities for a very small investment.
Classes can be made available to open enrollment. Alternatively, BEM will provide training
for a single company at their location, if there is an interest.

Figure 3 (above): Topics covered by the BEM Lean training program. Students will engage
in hands-on exercises using simulated work situations during the training sessions. Students
will also apply the lessons at their work sites during the 3-week intervals between training
weeks.

Certification. Trainees are certified as Lean Practitioners by BEM-CA upon successful

completion of the training and all assigned exercises. This certification can be kept by the
successful trainee and will assure his or her recognition in the business community as an
expert in Lean methods. The certification will also ensure that the successful trainee is
qualified to apply the methods of Lean in the employers workplace as it continues its Lean
journey.

The BEM-CA Lean pedigree

BEM-CA has a pedigree in Lean that stretches back to the Japanese automobile industry
where Lean had its beginnings. Our Lean experts have experience in a wide variety of
industries`. We have a track record of significant, verifiable results. As one customer in the
apparel industry put it Quite simply the best Lean consultant / Practitioner that I have
come across and if you want to get the best out of your team members then [BEM] will help
them to embrace the philosophy and practicalities of Lean and its sustainable benefits.