On Tuesday, 6 December the EU-Japan Centre organised a LEAN in Europe visit, to Odelo Slovenia, d.o.o. in Prebold, close to the city of Celje in Slovenia. A preparatory evening was organised the previous day at a local hotel and included lean activities led by the EU-Japan Centre's WCM advisor - Professor Richard Keegan of Trinity College, Dublin and Enterprise Ireland. 

The focus of the visit

Participants 

• learnt about Odelo and its lean approach and lean methods in use
• got an introduction to its world-class tools and how they are used to follow the world class manufacturing strategy
• saw the tools in operation and met with shop-floor staff and team-leaders in order to gain real insight into how the company use the tools to achieve their goals
• gave feedback to Odelo to suggest improvements

Costs - who paid what?

The visit and preparatory evening was free of charge. However participants had to cover their own travel and accommodation costs. For eligibility and other details on our future Lean visits please see the main LEAN in Europe Driving Competitiveness webpage.

Odelo and WCM

Odelo Slovenia, d.o.o. is a leading manufacturer of tail and signal lights for the premium automotive industry with headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. Its production facilities in Prebold, Slovenia employs more than 900 people. Odelo produces technologically demanding and advanced lights, which can be seen in car brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche and others. In 2011 odelo was acquired by Bayraktarlar Holding, a leading manufacturer in the automotive lighting sector in Turkey.

Odelo continuously modernises and streamlines, and continues to set standards of excellence and therefore it is also a proud winner of the TPM Award and the prestigious Automotive Lean Production Award for introduction of lean methods. In 2013, odelo Slovenija also received the highest award of the Republic of Slovenia for business excellence (EFQM). In 2016 it was awarded an e-logistics award and the German Economy Award.

Detailed agenda

Monday 5 December:

Tuesday 6 December: