On Tuesday 28th March 2017, the EU-Japan Centre organised a Lean in Europe visit, to thyssenkrupp Norte (tkN), in Mieres, in the Asturias region (Spain).

A preparatory afternoon and evening was organised the previous day at Prodintec (a regional technology centre specialised in industrial design and production) and included lean activities and a visit of the technology centre. It was followed by a networking dinner at TKEIC (Thyssenkrupp's technical innovation centre). The next day was devoted to the visit to thyssenkrupp Norte.

The April 2017 editon of We somos Norte - thyssenkrupp Norte's in-house magazine - included an article about the visit.

The visit was focused on:

• Team work organisation (inverted pyramid)
• Synchronized flow production of tailor-made machines (HEIJUNKA)
• Flexible flow assembly line with long takt times (4h-8h)
• HOSHIN KANRI approach: BPD, SQDC & IMPACT boards
• Factory 4.0 approach
• Inbound logistics milkrun

Participants:

• Learnt about thyssenkrupp Norte, one of the most well-known manufacturer of escalators and moving walk-ways
• Saw world-class principles in action with lectures, shop-floor visits, coaching and detailed explanations provided by the host company
• Gave feedback to thyssenkrupp Norte

Click here to see the agenda.

Costs - who paid what?

The visit and preparatory evening was free of charge. However, participants needed 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 Competiveness webpage.

Interested?

Should you be interested in our future lean visits, please contact us.