About the Lean Enterprise Research Centre (LERC)

LERC, a Shingo prize recipient, is one of Cardiff 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 in nature, often involving a number of organisations who come together as a network, with common issues that the particular research programme addresses. Our degree education activity is focused on the MSc in Lean Operations - the world's first lean masters programme, while Innovation and Engagement includes open and bespoke short courses, knowledge transfer activities. action research, project based learning, lean community & networks and the Lean Competency System.

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.

Lean Management Education & Training

LERC delivers a broad range of executive education programmes and 'Lean Thinking' training courses that complement its research activities. These range from 1 day ‘introduction’ courses to a 2 year part-time masters’ degrees. Many of the short courses are open and we also develop bespoke courses, suited to the specific needs of an organisation.

Lean Courses are delivered by LERC staff, other Business School staff and by LERC Associates.Lean Training Courses tend to be practical and participative in style, with an emphasis on the application of knowledge in the work place. As well as 'traditional lectures', we use case studies, simulations and management games as part of the learning process.