What is Lean

Lean For Business


Lean into working smarter, not harder!

Lean For Business is designed to encourage clients to adopt Lean business principles in their organisations to increase performance and competitiveness. Lean is for all companies, regardless of sector – it is not just for manufacturing companies.

Lean tools and techniques are helping companies across the globe to address competitiveness issues within their businesses by building the capability of their people to identify problems, improve operations and create a more innovative organisation. In a nutshell, Lean is about doing things quicker, better and saving costs. Lean strives to remove waste and to continually improve a company.

So, don’t delay and join the 1,000’s of companies all over Ireland who have successfully engaged in LEAN business programmes and recorded significant gains, including:

• Productivity increases 20%
• Sales increases 40%
• Delivery adherence improvements 43%
• Product & Service quality improvements 30%
• Employment increases 11%

(Source: Government report)

How does Lean For Business work?

The first step is to talk to your local LEO. The LEO Lean for Business Programme runs across all 31 LEO regions. Up to 90% funding is available and the programme runs in two ways:

• One-to-Many – In this delivery method, one Lean Service Provider is selected by the LEO after tender and works with all the companies on the programme. There is an initial 1-to-2-day “Introduction to Lean” workshop followed by up to 5 half-day visits to the company.
  
  
• One-to-One – In this delivery method, the company itself selects the Lean Service Provider it wishes to work with on its project.

With both methods, the Lean Service Provider will visit the company, evaluate its processes, and speak with the company’s managers about challenges faced by the business and the improvement project opportunities to be carried out over several weeks. Several Lean tools and techniques will be applied as appropriate to the needs of the business and improvement project at-hand. Additionally, management and staff will be trained and mentored on Lean. At the end of the engagement with the Lean Service Provider, a final report, case study, and metrics, are sent to the LEO.

Eligibility

The programme is open to:

• All micro-enterprises with up to ten employees and
  
  
• Non Enterprise Ireland/IDA clients employing between 10-50 on a limited basis in consultation with the LEO except those involved in activities that the Local Enterprise Offices consider as ineligible (primary agricultural, fishery or aquaculture, coal and steel sectors) and those involving an unacceptable reputational risk including gambling, ‘gaming’ (as defined in the Gaming and Lotteries Act 1956), adult entertainment, tobacco products and cannabis-based products which are not authorised as medicines).
  
  
• In general start-up businesses do not avail of the lean programme however start-ups that are trading for a minimum of 6 months and have generated revenues in excess of €30k may be considered. Companies forming part of a holding group, franchise, linked companies etc. are only permitted to make one application. Multiple applications will not be considered.

The Lean for Business scheme falls under De Minimis rules relating to previous state support.  De Minimis Aid is small amounts of State Aid given to an enterprise which cannot exceed €200,000 over any three fiscal years to any company irrespective of size and location. De Minimis Aid can come from any State body, agency or department.