Patrick Adams is a world-renowned Lean Consultant who has worked with some of the biggest businesses on the planet. In this episode, Ryan and Matt caught up with him to talk about: His time in the military Why he fell in love with manufacturing The most successful Lean Turnaround of his career What most leaders get wrong How to stop employees from asking so many questions Why most bosses struggle with insanity And what Toyota’s Impossible Goal means for your business Check it...

Welcome to Lean Made Simple, a podcast about transforming your business — and life — one step at a time. In this episode, Ryan Tierney from Seating Matters shares the powerful lean concept of "total flow.” Along the way, he and Producer Matt talk about: What Ryan's dentist taught him about manufacturing Why your product should always be flowing to your customer How to turn your factory into a river of value One simple trick to identify blockages in your business The secret behind...

In this episode, Ryan and Matthew explore the transformative shift from Push to Pull systems in business, revealing: How shifting to Pull radically changed Ryan's company Daniel Priestley's advice on "with or without you" energy The secret to attracting customers and talent through pull Everyday applications of push vs. pull concepts How this podcast is a testament to the pull approach Practical steps for businesses to adopt a pull system Check it...

In this episode, Ryan Tierney unveils the hidden key to lean success: Focusing on People Development. He shares enlightening experiences and practical advice on: How ignoring people development causes lean initiatives to fail The critical mistake of seeing lean as merely physical changes How to build a thriving people development system Learning the true essence of lean from Yellotools Starting every day with a purpose-driven morning meeting Encouraging employees to pursue their...

In this episode, Tom Hughes and Matthew Thompson dive into the transformative power of STANDARD WORK. In the conversation we cover: The three root causes of errors in the workplace Why even a loose wire can unleash chaos The surprising role of standard work in fostering a culture of continuous improvement The critical importance of documenting methods for task accomplishment Speeding up operations by eliminating unnecessary steps How "GembaDocs" revolutionizes standard work...

In this episode, Ryan Tierney and Matthew Thompson dive into KANBAN INVENTORY, where they talk about: How to be "firefighter ready" for any customer demand The three essential tools for transforming inventory management The simplicity and effectiveness of Kanban Ryan's journey from inventory chaos to streamlined operations How to manage vast inventory with minimal stress Actionable steps for immediately applying these strategies in your own business Check it...

Hugh Carnahan (Small Biz Rescue) & Jack Bussey (JJB Corporation) are lean maniacs from two different parts of the world, with a love of simplicity and freeing people from burden. In this episode we talk about: How lean can develop you into a public speaker Going to Japan to study lean The power of 3Sing How to stop doing things the way you’ve always done them And the importance of “cloning yourself” Check it out! Links: Hugh’s Instagram:...

In this episode, Ryan Tierney delves into the transformative concept of STOP AND FIX, unlocking its potential to: Empower employees at all levels to initiate positive changes Enhance quality control and reduce operational defects Develop a culture of proactive problem-solving Achieve the high quality standards of Toyota Transform stress into success in your personal life Check it out! https://www.leanmadesimple.com/podcast/stop-and-fix Links: Book a Lean Made Simple Tour:...

Paul Nolan (Adman Steel Sheds) and Paul Vallely (Kukoon Rugs) are “Lean Maniacs” from the island of Ireland. In this episode, we talk about: Why lean was the answer they were looking for. Making 30-years of progress in 5-years How to convert your people to lean-thinking Why doing tours of other businesses is so important And the power of trusting your people (not to steal a pair of gloves!) Check it out! Links: Kukoon Rugs: https://www.kukoonrugs.com/ Adman Steel Sheds:...

In this episode, Ryan Tierney discusses the principle of TOTAL OWNERSHIP and how it is the key to: Addressing “the forgotten areas” in your business and life Creating a blame-free culture Transforming employees into leaders Bringing total clarity to the role of every team member Solving the chaos of project management And unlocking your own health, success and happiness Check it out! https://www.leanmadesimple.com/podcast/total-ownership Links: Free Total Ownership Labels:...

Alan Weir is the Director of Production Operations at Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK. In this episode, Ryan Tierney and Matthew Thompson from Lean Made Simple ask him about: Working his way up from the shop floor to the level of leadership he’s in today What “Genchi Genbutsu” is and why it matters to your business How he spends the first two hours of his day The number one mistake leaders and managers make His passion for built-in quality And the greatest challenge of his career so...

Paul Blahyj is a coach at the Toyota Lean Management Centre. In this episode, Ryan Tierney and Matthew Thompson from Lean Made Simple ask him about: How he went from professional ice hockey to making doors at Toyota Working his way up from the factory floor to a senior leadership position Internally promoting vs externally hiring Why Toyota relies so much on paper over digital systems Earning the right to automated Why the term “low-skilled labourer” makes no sense And how...

Last week, Ryan and the team were invited to a behind-the-scenes tour of the Toyota Factory in Derby where a car comes off the line every 88 seconds. In this episode, we share three mind-blowing takeaways from this trip, including: What a “quality control tunnel” is and how you can build one for your business Why stopping the line actually speeds up production Developing a people-centric culture that turns members into leaders The message picking up rubbish sends to your team How...

In their roles at Fastcap, Kolbe Akers & Lukas Holland are on the front-line in the war against waste. In today’s episode we talk about: Kolbe having a front-row seat to his father’s lean journey How Lukas went from “academic lean” to becoming a “lean maniac” The power of asking people what bothers them Removing places to hide Focusing on people over profit And their favourite lean improvements from over the years Check it out! Links: FastCap website:...

Norm O’Hara is the General Manager of a sporting equipment factory based in Southern China. He’s also a lean manufacturing enthusiast who’s excited to share the improvements he and his team are making on their journey toward organizational excellence. In this episode we talk about: Treating improvement videos as a product Cultural challenges of applying lean in China (And how to overcome them) The power of building a physical bridge between two factories Reducing the number of people...

Welcome to Lean Made Simple, a podcast about transforming your business — and life — one step at a time. In this episode, Ryan Tierney from Seating Matters discusses “The Eight Wastes of Lean.” Along the way, he and Producer Matt talk about: Why waste isn't just the stuff that goes in the bin How overproduction is "the mother of all wastes" Getting called out by the former president of Lexus for having "muda” The trap of organising your waste to make it look lean Examples and stories...

Brendan McGurgan and Claire Colvin are the co-founders of Simple Scaling, a company that empowers leaders to 10x their business through books, podcasts, live events and accelerator programs. In this episode we talk about: The role lean plays in scaling Why systems will set you free How we’re all in the business of building people Modeling the behaviour we want to see in others And the biggest barrier that stops people from scaling Check it out! Links: Simple Scaling Website:...

Welcome to Lean Made Simple, a podcast about transforming your business — and life — one step at a time. In this episode, Ryan Tierney from Seating Matters discusses the 3S's: Sweep, Sort & Standardize. Along the way, he and Producer Matt talk about: Why clean and lean are NOT the same thing The power of starting the day with an improvement mindset What a digital 3S looks like How to stop going around in circles and solve problems forever Making standardising an easy and fun...

Michael Althoff is the founder of Yellotools and a pioneer for LEAN transformation in companies, organizations and private environments. In today’s episode we talk about: Why you should love the things your customer hates What baking cookies has to do with lean Learning from each others mistakes And how to “shortcut” your lean journey Check it out! Links: Michael’s website: https://www.michael-althoff.com/en/" Yellotools website: https://www.yellotools.com/shop/en/ Book a Lean...

Welcome to Lean Made Simple, a podcast about transforming your business — and life — one step at a time. In this episode, Ryan Tierney from Seating Matters discusses the powerful lean principle: "One-Piece Flow!" Along the way, he and Producer Matt talk about: Why batching is killing your business Escalators vs elevators How to introduce flow into your personal and professional life A better alternative to “annual team-building exercises” Why you should create a “river of...

Marc Braun is the CEO of Encouraging Leaders, an executive coach and a keynote speaker. His mission is to help successful leaders become even more successful by identifying and addressing the critical behaviours holding them and their teams back. In this episode he talks about: How the first improvement he made was on himself Why he lost his “bathroom privileges” (And how he got them back) Being called out by a leader early on in his career And the role coaching plays in becoming the...

Welcome to Lean Made Simple, a podcast about transforming your business — and life — one step at a time. In this episode, Ryan Tierney from Seating Matters discusses the powerful lean principle: "Value vs Non-Value!" Along the way, he and Producer Matt talk about: What a Japanese barber taught him about value Fine-tuning our “waste goggles” Why value is only being added when the product is changing Bob the lean painter Internal vs external customers How 90% of everything...

Brad Cairns is the senior principal at Quantum Lean and is dedicated to improving the woodworking industry in North America using lean methods. He also owns My Door Factory and Stolbek Machines. In this episode he shares: Why he changed his company name from “Best Damn Doors” His first exposure to “lean manufacturing” How waste is like gravity Going from making 5 doors per day to 52 within a few weeks of implementing lean And how he developed a multi-million pound product by solving...

Last week, 200+ Lean Maniacs from 16+ different countries travelled to Limavady, Northern Ireland for the 2-Second Lean Summit. In this episode we catch up with Ryan Tierney to find out how the Seating Matters team pulled off such a successful event (using lean principles) as well as the highlights, learnings and improvements they discovered along the way. Check it out! https://www.leanmadesimple.com/podcast/2-second-lean-summit