LEAN CHAMPIONS

The machine does not change first. The person does.

A growing ecosystem connecting manufacturing companies, people and real improvement.

What started inside real factories has grown into something larger: a community, a competition, a book and a digital platform — connected by one idea: continuous improvement begins with people.

Discuss company participation → Explore the Book

ONE ECOSYSTEM

The Initiative Manufacturing companies improving, learning and sharing through real projects.

The Book The story, lessons and principles behind the Lean Champions journey.

The Platform Book, community and practical Lean tools connected in one digital environment.

REAL FACTORIES · REAL PEOPLE · REAL IMPROVEMENT

WHERE IT STARTED

Built on 15 years of
real Lean experience.

Lean Champions did not start with a competition. It grew out of years of working inside factories.

Lean Champions builds on more than 15 years of practical work with manufacturing companies — Lean transformations, improvement projects, training and people development.

Across different factories, industries and challenges, one lesson became increasingly clear: tools alone do not create lasting change. Progress becomes sustainable when people take ownership, learn from one another and continue improving.

Lean Champions grew naturally from that experience — turning years of practical work into a shared environment where companies can improve, compare progress, exchange knowledge and develop together.

Discover the Story → How Lean Champions Works

FROM EXPERIENCE TO ECOSYSTEM

15+ YEARS

Lean Champions

Practical Lean work inside manufacturing companies — projects, transformations, training and people development.

REAL FACTORIES

Experience became a principle

Sustainable improvement does not begin with a tool. It begins when people take responsibility for change.

Lean
Champions

A new way to continue the journey

Companies, projects, knowledge, competition, community and digital tools connected in one growing ecosystem.

What is Lean Champions?

Not just a programme.
An environment for growth.

Lean Champions is an environment where improvement does not remain just an idea. Companies work on real manufacturing problems, develop the people behind the change, present their results to other companies and learn from the real-world experience of the community.

Real Challenges

The work begins with a specific problem in manufacturing, not with theory or a pre-designed exercise.

Development Through Action

People do not simply learn Lean principles. They apply them, defend their solutions and see the impact they create.

A Community Across Companies

Manufacturing teams from different organisations meet, share real practices and accelerate their development by learning from one another.

Lean Champions turns improvement from a one-time initiative into a rhythm that continues throughout the year.

Why Does Lean Champions Exist?

The problem is rarely a lack of Lean tools.

Most manufacturing companies are familiar with 5S, Kaizen, TPM, problem solving and other Lean practices. The difficult part is turning improvement into a sustainable way of working. This is where Lean Champions begins.

Initiatives Lose Momentum

After a strong start, other priorities emerge, daily pressures return, and what was started gradually fades away.

Improvement Remains with the Lean Team

When responsibility is concentrated within a small team, others find it difficult to see improvement as part of their own work.

The People Behind the Change Remain Invisible

Real improvements often remain within a department or factory, without a stage, recognition or an opportunity to share the experience.

Every Factory Solves Similar Problems on Its Own

Valuable practical experience remains locked within individual organisations, instead of accelerating the development of the entire community.

→

Lean Champions creates rhythm, personal responsibility, a stage and a community — four conditions that help improvement continue.

How Lean Champions Works

One year.
A continuous rhythm of development.

Lean Champions is not a one-time event. Companies go through a recurring cycle of project work, meetings, presenting results and taking on new challenges. This keeps improvement visible and alive throughout the year.

We Choose Real Problems

Each team starts with a specific challenge in its own manufacturing environment.

We Work in the Factories

Projects are developed where the problems occur — in the real manufacturing environment.

We Receive Regular Support

Teams receive guidance, feedback and support throughout the development of their projects.

We Meet at Different Companies

Participants open the doors of their factories, share practices and see how other teams solve similar problems.

We Present the Results

At the quarterly meetings, teams present what they have done, what they have learned and what results they have achieved.

We Move to the Next Level

Each quarter brings a new challenge. Development does not end with one successful project.

Lean Champions creates a cycle in which action, sharing, comparison and the next challenge become a habit.

The Competition with Yourself

Why Have Rankings at All?

Rankings in Lean Champions are not an end in themselves. They create rhythm, visibility and a reason for people to keep moving forward. They help teams see their progress, compare approaches and turn improvement into continuous movement.

The real question is not: “Are we better than the other factory?”

But are we better than we were yesterday?

Measurable Progress

Teams can see how they develop over time, so results are not based only on perception or opinion.

Healthy External Motivation

The meetings, comparisons and anticipation of the next presentation provide an extra push to keep going rather than stop halfway.

Recognition for the People

The effort becomes visible. Teams are given a stage for the real work that usually remains unseen within the factory.

There are winners in Lean Champions, but the goal is not to create losers. The goal is for every company to finish the year stronger than when it started.

View rankings

LEAN CHAMPIONS TODAY

From an initiative to a growing international community.

Lean Champions continues to bring manufacturing companies together through real projects, factory visits and open exchange of experience. The scale is growing, but the principle remains the same: every company competes first with itself.

Reported results & Projects → Explore Results & Impact

2026

participating companies

A growing network of manufacturing companies improving, learning and sharing together.

2025

€2.3M+

documented financial impact

Generated by 7 companies, 8 participating teams and 32 real improvement projects.

SEE LEAN CHAMPIONS IN ACTION

Real factories.
Real people.
Real improvement.

Lean Champions does not live in conference rooms. It happens inside real factories, where teams open their processes, share their challenges and learn directly from one another.

Each meeting creates another opportunity to see improvement where it actually happens — on the shop floor.

THE DIGITAL ECOSYSTEM

The Lean Champions journey
continues online.

Lean Champions continues beyond factory visits and meetings. The digital platform brings together knowledge, community and practical Lean tools in one connected environment.

Some parts are already live. Others are being developed step by step as the ecosystem grows.

AVAILABLE NOW

01 LIVE

The Book

The story, lessons and principles behind Lean Champions — connected to real projects, people and practical examples.

Explore the Book →

02 LIVE

Community Forum

A space for practitioners to exchange experience, ask questions, share ideas and learn from one another.

Enter the Forum →

03 LIVE

5S Application

A practical digital tool for 5S audits, findings, actions and follow-up inside real production environments.

Open 5S →

ONE CONNECTED ENVIRONMENT

More tools are already in development.

Knowledge, improvement tools and community are being connected step by step into one practical Lean ecosystem.

Explore the Platform →

WHERE WE ARE GOING

Growing internationally.
Staying personal.

Lean Champions is designed to grow — but not by becoming one enormous, anonymous community.

The model is built around smaller, connected groups where companies know one another, visit real factories and exchange experience directly. Limiting the number of participants helps preserve personal involvement, trust and the quality of learning.

LOCAL COMMUNITIES

Small enough to stay meaningful.

Lean Champions communities should remain close enough for real relationships, factory visits, direct exchange and personal involvement.

INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS

Local presence. Shared principles.

The long-term model is to work with trusted partners in different countries who can develop Lean Champions locally while preserving the same standards and philosophy.

EUROPEAN VISION

Towards a Lean Champions League.

Our five-year vision is to connect national communities across Europe — creating opportunities for companies to learn, share and one day compete together at European level.

CONNECTED KNOWLEDGE & AI

Turning experience into shared intelligence.

As the ecosystem grows, we are developing ways to connect real improvement experience, practical knowledge and AI — helping people discover relevant ideas, similar cases and useful experience across companies and countries.

THE AMBITION

The goal is not to build the biggest Lean community.

It is to build one worth belonging to.

Explore the Vision → Become an International Partner

International Jury

External Perspective.
International Experience.
Independent Evaluation.

Lean Champions includes an international jury of professionals with extensive experience in Lean, Operational Excellence, manufacturing and organisational development. Their external perspective adds a different point of view to the participants’ development.

The jury does not evaluate only the final result. The team’s development, the sustainability of the change, the way of thinking and the ability to make improvement part of everyday work are equally important.

Jitendra Malhotra

Lean & Manufacturing Excellence

An international professional with extensive experience in manufacturing, Lean transformations and building sustainable operational excellence systems.

in LinkedIn

Marc Pick

Lean Leadership

A practitioner with international experience in Lean manufacturing systems, people development and building a culture of continuous improvement.

in LinkedIn

Dieter Emmert

Operational Excellence

An international expert with extensive experience in the automotive industry, manufacturing management and the development of high-performing organisations.

in LinkedIn

Robert Varacka

Lean & Management Systems

A professional with experience in manufacturing, operations management and the development of Lean and management systems.

in LinkedIn

Attila Ivacson

Operations & Continuous Improvement

An international professional with experience in operations management, organisational development and continuous improvement.

in LinkedIn

Different experience brings different perspectives. This is precisely what makes external evaluation valuable — it complements the perspectives of the participants and the Lean Champions team.

Participation · Rules · Investment

What Does It Mean to Be Part of Lean Champions?

Lean Champions is not a subscription to a few meetings each year. It is year-round work with the teams and personal support for the development of every participating company. The goal is for improvement not to remain a separate initiative, but to become a sustainable way of working.

Personal Support

Working with the company’s people and real challenges, with regular feedback and support throughout the year.

Access to Real Experience

Meetings with other manufacturing companies, open factories, shared practices and the opportunity for teams to learn directly from one another.

Visibility for the Company

Visits and meetings are documented through photos and video. Real projects and the people behind them gain visibility through Lean Champions channels.

Community and Ecosystem

Participation connects the company with a community of practitioners, international experience and the growing digital Lean Champions ecosystem.

Lean Champions winners with the challenge trophy

The Lean Champions Tradition

A Trophy That Must Be Earned Again.

The annual winner receives the specially crafted Lean Champions challenge trophy. It does not remain permanently with the winner — every year brings a new challenge.

The name of each annual winner is engraved on the trophy and becomes part of the history of Lean Champions.

The trophy remains with the champion for one year, after which it is passed on to the next winner.

A company that wins Lean Champions three times — whether consecutively or not — receives its own replica of the trophy, which it keeps permanently.

Investment

A monthly fee comparable to an operator’s salary.

For new companies joining Lean Champions from 2027, the monthly participation fee is approximately equivalent to one production operator’s monthly salary. It provides access to the year-round initiative and its activities.

New Participants from 2027 ≈ 1 operator’s monthly salary per month · excl. VAT

The exact fee and participation terms are agreed with the organisers before participation is confirmed.

Transitional conditions for 2026 participants. The financial benefits for the top three positions — 100% for the winner, 50% for second place and 25% for third place — apply to companies that participated in 2026. They are not part of the permanent model for new participants from 2027.

Before participation

Agree the team, contact person, support, visits, time commitment and platform access with the organisers before confirming participation.

Sharing company materials

Before sharing projects, photographs or videos, agree which materials may be public and which information must remain confidential.

This is an enquiry. Participation is agreed separately after a discussion with the organisers.

Discuss company participation

Participant stories

What participation means to the people behind the improvements.

I had the pleasure of attending one of the Lean Champions meetings and can share my positive impressions of the format. For me, this is one of the most effective events in supporting the growth of Bulgarian businesses. The constructive competition it creates also contributes to the continuous improvement of processes. I would recommend that every manufacturing company take part in these meetings.

Kiril EvlogievQuality ManagerWoodward Bulgaria EOOD

Year of participation: 2026

Translation · English

All participant stories →

No matter how much experience you have or how well you know the processes within your own organisation, there is always something to learn and build on. This is one of the greatest benefits of the Lean Champions initiative.
Sharing experience with each of the participating companies gave us the opportunity to look at familiar challenges from a different perspective, see real solutions in a real manufacturing environm…

Viktor IvanovCapacity and Financial Analysis – ProductionAPS Trading Ltd.

Year of participation: 2025

Translation · English

All participant stories →