Lean in Europe #31 - 07 & 08 December 2023 in Landsberg am Lech

The 31st Lean in Europe visit will be to RATIONAL's award-winning factory in Landsberg, Germany. Voted "Factory of the Year" in 2022, it is the world leader for multifunctional appliances used in professional kitchens. Established in 1973, RATIONAL's innovative cooking systems are used around the world to produce 140m meals a day. RATIONAL has more than 600 patents in operation or in application.

For more information on the host company, click on its logo.

Registration has closed.

There are up to 30 places available on the visit. Applications are welcome from companies (excluding direct competitors) located in an EU27 member-state or in an EU Single Market Programme country [see "Applicant Eligibility" below].

Split over two days, the RATIONAL visit will include:

Evening of 7 December:

• Lean discussion led by Prof. Richard Keegan (EU-Japan Centre's WCM Advisor and Adjunct Professor of Lean Operational Excellence at Trinity Business School)
• Presentations on RATIONAL's story, customer focus and on its Lean processes and organisation
• Cooking demonstration to experience the cooking systems in operation.

Morning & early afternoon of 8 December:

• Gemba visits to plants 1, 2 & 3 with stops and explanations
• Apprenticeship process
• Debriefing, feedback and light lunch

This will be the second Lean in Europe visit hosted by RATIONAL (the previous one took place in 2017).

Applicant Eligibility

• Priority will be given to people who have not taken part in previous Lean in Europe visits.
• Priority will be given to applicants with a clear role in shaping their company's lean strategy / process management activities who explain why their company would like them to take part in this visit.

• People working for RATIONAL's direct competitors will not be able to join the activity.

• Applications are welcome from companies based in the EU27 or, under the EU Single Market Programme, in a number of other countries. Please check the status of your country at https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/smp/guidance/list-3rd-country-participation_smp_en.pdf, for EFTA countries, please only refer to the sub-paragraph: "COSME strand (SMP COSME)". For EU acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates, please only refer to the countries for which the agreement is in force.

Last chance...

The Lean in Europe activity will end on 31 March 2024. So don't delay, if you would like to benefit from this activity and engage with other lean enthusiasts from across Europe as you learn about how the host company uses lean tools inspired by Japanese production methodology to drive its improvement activities. Apply for a place on this visit or contact us to get details of the last two visits as and when they are announced.

Costs

There are no application or participation fees. Participants will be responsible for covering their own travel and accommodation costs.

Lean in Europe visits aim to facilitate discussions of good practice and the sharing of ideas. Originally started in 2013, 30 visits to 33 companies have taken place so far, with 656 participants to date.

  For a look inside a Lean in Europe visit see the highlights videos from the visits to SkiBeat (2023), PakMarkas (2022) or HansaMatrix (2017). Details of other past visits can be found in the Lean in Europe visit archive.