Applying lean principles to office environments

Mike Clare, EMEA Customer Care Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, will detail the company's lean enterprise programme that has brought remarkable improvements in customer service and achieved a cultural transformation.

Manufacturing Institute Practitioner Bill Tiplady, who will chair the master class, says: "Many businesses have made great strides to lean their production processes, but this can so easily be undermined in the back office, which provides huge and largely untapped potential for business improvement.

"Applying lean to business processes can provide even bigger returns than on the factory floor, as wasted activity and resources are less obvious and inefficiency can be more deeply ingrained."

The master class will also feature presentations from the Cheshire Building Society, Norwich Union and Stockport NHS Trust, which have reduced costs, boosted productivity and improved quality and customer service by applying lean methodologies in an office environment.

Warwick Business School's Dr Zoe Radnor, who guides the government on lean service transformation, will also be speaking at the full-day event.

Delegates will gain an understanding of how a 'lean office' can radically change the way they operate and obtain powerful insights from the diverse organisations presenting their experiences.

To register, telephone +44 (0)800 458 9585 or go to www.manufacturinginstitute.co.uk/office.