Lean Production Training for the Manufacturing Industry: Experiences from Karlstad Lean Factory

Both literature and manufacturing companies state that simulators for providing training in lean production to industrial employees must be similar to the work environment. This motivated the design of Karlstad Lean Factory, which is a training environment that realistically resembles an industrial environment. It is a full-scale training facility that incorporates a combination of materials processing and assembly. Parameters such as processing times, breakdown intervals and repair types can be set. Examples of basic and more advanced training scenarios are given. Experiences from training groups of industrial employees are described; inhomogeneity of these groups requires some specific attention.