The 7 Wastes: are defects problems or treasure?
Individual Seat: £399*
*Multi-seat and annual subscriptions available
Silver Award winner at the 2022
Leading Manufacturers Build the Leaders of Tomorrow with SempaiGuide
Our Lean Courses
All our courses focus on the practical application of Lean skills to help you achieve rapid results. Starting with real-world examples from industry experts you’ll then transfer the skills learnt directly on the shop floor, guided by practical, downloadable tools.
5s
Study Hours: 1 hour | Practical 'Go-Do' Hours: 9 hours | Sections: 7
In our 5s course, you'll learn how to apply each 'S' through real-world examples and practical tools for immediate use on the shop floor. The course’s 7 interactive sections will help you quickly spot and fix issues, set a standard, and maintain continuous improvement.
7 Wastes
Study Hours: 1 hour | Practical 'Go-Do' Hours: 6 hours | Sections: 9
The 7 Wastes course teaches you to identify and eliminate waste in 9 simple sections, improving team performance. You'll learn to spot inefficiencies, track progress with a PFU sheet, and implement lasting changes using the PDCA method.
Area Patrol
Study Hours: 1 hour | Practical 'Go-Do' Hours: 3 hours | Sections: 9
This course, split into 9 interactive sections, helps you sharpen your skills in spotting and addressing issues early. You'll learn to run balanced patrols across key areas, empower your team to tackle abnormalities, and cut costs by improving efficiency and maintaining high standards.
Practical Problem Solving
Study Hours: 1 hour | Practical 'Go-Do' Hours: 6 hours | Sections: 6
This course, divided into 6 interactive sections, teaches you how to prioritise and solve problems efficiently while preventing recurrence. You'll gain the skills needed to drive continuous improvement and keep operations running smoothly.
Standardised Work
Study Hours: 2 hour | Practical 'Go-Do' Hours: 11 hours | Sections: 9
The Standardised Work course is divided into 7 interactive sections, covering what Standardised Work is, why it’s important, and how to implement and improve it. You'll learn how to train your team efficiently, ensuring they have the skills to follow clear, consistent processes and improve quality daily.
Build a Strong Team
Study Hours: 1 hour | Practical 'Go-Do' Hours: 4 hours | Sections: 9
This course, divided into 9 interactive sections, equips you to engage your team in Kaizen, motivate and develop their skills, communicate clearly, and lead by example. Enroll today to strengthen your leadership and drive continuous improvement!
How it works
SempaiGuide courses follow a three-step approach to successfully embed Lean:
Learn
with real-world examples
Each course begins by emphasising the significance of the topic, followed by clear, practical steps demonstrated with real-world examples from actual factories.
Track
the impact in real-time
In-situ improvements are captured throughout the course with built-in improvement trackers for quantifiable ROI. ​
SempaiGuide Case Studies
Why choose a SempaiGuide Lean course?
100% of team leaders love or like the courses
Based on 50 users across 10 businesses in 5 manufacturing sectors
Lean learning, on the shop floor
We understand that shop floor employees face frequent interruptions, so Sempai courses are designed to seamlessly integrate into the natural flow of the working day on the shop floor.
Immediate, tangible SQDCPE results
Each course features built-in improvement trackers for immediate, quantifiable results aligned to SQDCPE targets
Tailored to unique sector challenges
Interviews with Team Leaders and other industry experts are used to shape each course and post-course feedback is used for ongoing improvement.
Building the leaders of tomorrow
Each course, fosters a culture of continuous improvement whilst embedding essential skills for career advancement
Improved course engagement
Instant feedback loops provide positive reinforcement, improving course completion rates and scores.
Looking for additional support?
SempaiGuide Plus is a blended offering, giving you access to an annual subscription of Lean courses plus additional virtual support from our team which includes:
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Remote check-ins
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Q&A sessions
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Guidance on a scenario you want to address
Our customers find that regular check-ins and reviews, with targeted support, help to embed lean habits and sustain great results from the team.
Sempai consulting is a truly bespoke option where you can draw heavily on our expertise to work alongside you and your team to tackle a range of projects including:
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Senior management coaching to grow and embed a strong, high performing lean culture throughout your business
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Support for HR with employee development i.e. performance reviews and talent identification at all levels
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Development pathways across all levels in Operations Management, from Operator to Operations Director, Materials Management, Engineering, Quality & Maintenance
Sempai’s approach to Lean training
With 25 years of global Lean experience and insight With 25 years of global Lean experience and insights from today’s industry leaders, SempaiGuide courses are crafted to transform your manufacturing operations and equip you with essential skills for career growth.
The SempaiGuide approach was developed after guiding global manufacturers like JCB and DENSO - a $50 billion global manufacturer. We developed an approach focused on practical, in-situ learning to embed Lean practices at one of DENSO’s key plants. This effort earned the plant the President's Award of Excellence as the top among 170 worldwide.
What was evident from this time was that success comes from taking immediate action on the shop floor, so our SempaiGuide courses fit the natural workday flow, allowing easy pausing and resuming at any time.
Sempai Co-Owner Russell Watkins (top-right) with the Denso team, receiving the award for excellence