About the Centre

NEWSFLASH June:

LERC/The Manufacturer collaborative Logistics & Supply Chain Study published
Steven Spear to keynote at LERC Conference on 7th July.

LERC, a Shingo prize recipient, is one of the Business School's major research centres, with around 20 staff and a track record of innovative Research, Executive Education and Innovation & Engagement activities. It was founded by Professor Peter Hines and Daniel T Jones in 1994. The centre is part of the Business School's Logistics and Operations Management (LOM) section and is a contributor to the EPSRC Cardiff University Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre.

Main Activities of LERC

Our research focuses on the application and meaning of lean thinking in a variety of different contexts and environments. Projects tend to be collaborative nature, often involving a number of organisations who come together as a network with common issues that the particular research programme addresses. In addition, projects can be funded (or part funded) by a government research council, such as the EPSRC, or European research bodies. When considering undertaking a research project we will normally need to ensure that it addresses one or a number of ‘research questions’ linked to our research themes.

What is Lean Thinking?

The term ‘lean’ was popularised in the seminal book ‘The Machine that Changed the World’ , which clearly illustrated - for the first time - the significant performance gap between the Japanese and western automotive industries. It described the key elements accounting for this superior performance as lean production - ‘lean’ because Japanese business methods used less of everything - human effort, capital investment, facilities, inventories and time - in manufacturing, product development, parts supply and customer relations.

Latest News

LERC Blog Live!
Follow our blog with postings on lean books, Steven Spear and our Shingo success

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LERC Conference 2009
7 July 2009 This year we are pleased to welcome Steven Spear as the keynote speaker at the LERC Conference

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Keivan Zokaei interviewed by Matthew Moore
Moving from efficiency to effectivieness using adaptive systems thinking 22 June 2009 - Matthew Moore interviews LERC' s Keivan Zokaei

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Events

LERC Conference 2009 Event Info
LERC Conference 2009
2008 Conference
LERC Conference 2008 'Innovations in Lean Thinking' Guest speakers John Bicheno, LERC, Steve Briault, Rubicon Associates, Dr Richard Schonberger, Schonberger & Associates and V S Mahesh, Buckingham University.
Annual Conference
Annual Conference LERC’s annual conference takes place in July each year.

Recent Publications

LERC has a strong research base which contributes to the exceptional quality of the teaching and student experience.

Staying Lean: Thriving, Not Just Surviving

Bicheno's Top 100 Lean Books

e-Delivery Mechanisms for Lean Training

Learning To See