GembaTalk – Détails, épisodes et analyse

In this episode, Tom Hughes, founder of GembaDocs, sits down with Ryan Tierney from Seating Matters to explore the transformative power of standardized operating procedures (SOPs). Discover how Seating Matters became a world-class Lean organization, the challenges they faced during implementation, and practical tips for success.

“We wasted so much money, so much time with systems that weren't up to scratch.” - Ryan TierneyKey Topics:

• The surprising complexities of creating effective SOPs.
• Common pitfalls, like neglected SOPs "stuffed in a drawer."
• How GembaDocs helped transform Seating Matters’ process.
• Actionable advice for rolling out SOPs in your organization.

“..it wasn't until we documented the process we saw how much waste there was. So there was probably 45 or 46 steps in this before. But the physical act of going through the documenting process forced us to improve it and see the waste.” - Ryan TierneyTakeaways:

• SOPs are a cornerstone of efficiency and quality but require proper adoption and visibility.
• Avoid overcomplicating your rollout; simplicity and accessibility are key.
• Learning from failures is part of the journey toward excellence.

Links and Resources:

• Learn more about Seating Matters (seatingmatters.com).
• Explore GembaDocs (gembadocs.com) for your SOP needs.

Connect with Us:

• GembaDocs LinkedIn
• Tom’s LinkedIn
• Seating Matters LinkedIn
• Ryan’s LinkedIn

🎙️ Subscribe to GembaTalk podcast for more insights on Lean culture, SOPs, and manufacturing excellence.

Hampton Conservatories are one of the original GembaDocs customers, so Tom got Dwain Steele, Production Manager, to dive into how standard processes with GembaDocs took the chaos and burden out of their workflow in the last three years to create a book of knowledge.

"The power it gives my team - ’I did a process today’ - this is fantastic, they went home, they feel great, because they've created this process that never existed at Hampton Conservatories, they've scored the goal.' - Dwain Steele

Key Topics:

• Why standardized processes are essential for continuous improvement.
• The struggle of creating SOPs manually with excel —and how GembaDocs solved it in 90mins.
• How to engage employees in process documentation and Lean culture.
• The impact of morning meetings on driving accountability and improvement.
• How Hampton Conservatories retains 40 years of company knowledge in a digital, accessible way.

"It took me 22 years to become a production manager, I could have done that in half the time I reckon, because GembaDocs was there. Would have made life so much easier."   - Dwain Steele

And find out how every GembaDoc at Hamptons follows their own set standard, with clear start, finish and pencil to paper plan first before the app is even open.

"you're training them on how to create the SOP to the standard you're expecting" - Tom HughesTakeaways:

• Apprentices using GembaDocs to train themselves, but also create processes from their learning.
• Creating a positive feedback loop from SOP to shop-floor
• Find out how Hampton Conservatories have developed a standard for their standards, including a GembaDoc on how to do a GembaDoc to their standards!
• Grandfathering products into GembaDocs to avoid the 8 lean waste areas the next time the order comes through
• How they developed process engineers who had ownership over their documented processes

Links and Resources:

• Learn more about Hampton Conservatories (hamptonconservatories.co.uk).
• Explore GembaDocs (gembadocs.com) for your process needs.

Connect with Us:

• GembaDocs LinkedIn
• Tom’s LinkedIn
• Hampton Conservatories LinkedIn

🎙️ Subscribe to GembaTalk podcast for more insights on Lean culture, SOPs, and manufacturing excellence.

Pablo Scarpatti, co-owner of Scarpati Amoblamientos, chats with Tom about how Lean principles have helped scale his custom woodworking business. Pablo shares insights on the birth of his lean business starting with an accident, how he developed workforce understanding of processes with QR codes, the process standardization, and the role of a strong skills matrix (and how it inspired GembaDocs Skills Module!) in driving growth.

"Knowledge alone is not enough—if it's not documented and shared, it doesn’t exist." - Pablo ScarpattiKey Topics:

• How an accident led Pablo to discover Lean
• The challenge of standardizing a business with no fixed products
• Using QR codes to make SOPs accessible on the shop floor
• Implementing a massive skills matrix for team development
• Why creating opportunities for employees to grow, even if they leave, is key to success

"So teach them everything and releasing from them the fear. It's a roof that many people have. They don't want to do things because they're frightened. And sometimes in the production culture, the owners, like myself, have the fear of holding people because you don't want them to go because who else is going to do that task that only he can do. So yeah with the skills matrix, everybody can do it because everybody can learn. So you don't have a specialist. Everybody can be a specialist." - Pablo Scarpatti

Takeaways:

• Identifying repeatable steps in unique processes creates consistency.
• Training everyone in multiple tasks eliminates bottlenecks.
• Developing employees, even if they leave, strengthens the business.
• When employees own processes, efficiency skyrockets.

“If a 10-year-old can follow our SOPs, then we know we’ve done it right” - Pablo Scarpatti [talking with pride about his daughter knowing how to start and use their machines, and even get the factory up and running with the electricity generator!]

Links and Resources:

• Find out more about Scarpatti 
• Explore GembaDocs (https://gembadocs.com) for your SOP, skills training and lean needs.

Connect with Us:

• GembaDocs LinkedIn
• Tom’s LinkedIn
• Pablo Scarpatti’s LinkedIn 

🎙️ Subscribe to GembaTalk podcast for more insights on Lean culture, SOPs, and manufacturing excellence.

Tom Hughes sits down with Stephan Hilmer, COO of Tridelta Meidensha, to discuss how standard processes revolutionized their approach to efficiency and training. Stephan reveals how Lean methodologies helped their company navigate the challenges of the pandemic and optimize production.

"Knowledge is really, really bad. Knowledge is bad until you put it on paper. You are the expert when you get everybody able to do whatever you are doing right now." - Stephan HilmerKey Topics:

• Why undocumented knowledge is a risk to organizations
• Tridelta Meidensha’s journey with SOPs and GembaDocs
• Training strategies for implementing and sustaining Lean principles
• How they utilize CEOs and flow managers of each department for continuous improvements.
• The role of daily Kaizen time and critical thinking for SOP development

"Trust your people, train your people, and then you will explode. The sky is the limit." - Stephan HilmerTakeaways:

• Expertise only benefits an organization when it’s accessible to everyone.
• The best SOPs are those that frontline workers use and improve daily.
• Investing in employee learning creates a sustainable culture of excellence.
• Standardization isn’t a one-time task; it’s an ongoing process of improvement.

Links and Resources:

• Full GembaDocs Tour of Tridelta Meidensha, in UK and German
• Lean Made Simple tour of Tridelta Meidensha
• Find out more about Tridelta Meidensha (tridelta-meidensha.de)
• Explore GembaDocs (gembadocs.com) for your lean needs.

Connect with Us:

• GembaDocs LinkedIn
• Tom’s LinkedIn
• Stephan Hilmer's LinkedIn
• Tridelta Meidensha LinkedIn

🎙️ Subscribe to GembaTalk podcast for more insights on Lean culture, SOPs, and manufacturing excellence.

In this episode, Tom Hughes talks with Pankaj Malik, founder of IOTAFLOW, about how finding Lean principles 20years into business revolutionized his company. From quality issues to a world-class system with 1,000 SOPs, Pankaj shares how small changes created a massive culture shift in his organization.

This shift has not only improved efficiency but has also enhanced employee well-being, with increased trust, better working conditions, and even company-funded medical care and dividends for staff.

"...it's completely mistake proof, they have that drawing to which work, one, and second they don't have to hunt for SOP or drawing anymore" - Pankaj MalikKey Topics:

• How Pankaj discovered 2 Second Lean and overcame skepticism in his team
• The cultural shift that helped employees see the value in SOPs
• Integrating SOPs into an ERP system for real-time access on the shop floor
• How Lean principles improved not just productivity, but employee well-being
• The financial benefits of Lean - how IOTAFLOW reinvests cost savings into staff medical care and bonuses

"I'm doing business for 25 years now. And 21, 22 years, I was struggling so much with quality and timely delivery. And when I read about 2 Second Lean and you know it's a panacea [cure] for all these problems, I wanted to jump right into it, do everything, whatever I could. So including the SOPs and the Kanban. So we really started all together, asked my people to make SOPs. There is a struggle. There is a communication gap. If there is a quality problem, let's have a look at what is the SOP. If it is not there, let's make SOP."  - Pankaj Malik

Takeaways:

• SOPs are about freedom, not restriction – Employees now work without disruption, even when someone is on leave.
• Integration is key – SOPs must be accessible at the point of work to be truly useful.
• Lean culture goes beyond processes – Standardization improved trust, teamwork, and employee benefits.
• Visibility pays off – By showing his staff progress and setting targets, IOTAFLOW now provides better salaries and healthcare for its workers.

Links and Resources:

• Find out more IOTAFLOW (https://iotaflow.com)
• Explore GembaDocs (https://gembadocs.com) for your SOP, skills training and lean needs.

Connect with Us:

• GembaDocs LinkedIn
• Tom’s LinkedIn
• Pankaj’s LinkedIn
• IOTAFLOW LinkedIn

🎙️ Subscribe to GembaTalk podcast for more insights on Lean culture, SOPs, and manufacturing excellence.

Tom talks with Brian Meyers, founder of Fat American Manufacturing (FAM) and multiple off-road manufacturing brands to find out how traveling to Japan and Europe gave Brian a new perspective on Lean - and how his company has rapidly implemented standardized work to improve efficiency.

By embracing standard work, giving employees ownership, and integrating SOPs into daily operations, Fat American Manufacturing (FAM) has made incredible progress in just five months. If you’re struggling to get started with Lean, Brian’s advice is simple: “Just start.”

"When I got to Japan I saw everything and I was like this is crazy and then I came home and I was really frustrated and I was like we suck but I had no idea how to do it and I didn't know what I was looking at [...] And then all of a sudden everything was like click, click, click, click, click, and I was like, it's lean, I saw lean!" - Brian Meyers" - Brian MeyersKey Topics:

• Brian discovered Lean backwards - by visiting Japan before knowing what it was
• The culture shift needed to make standardization work
• Why Brian gave every employee the power to create SOPs instead of restricting it to managers
• The challenges of balancing production vs. documentation
• How FAM integrates SOPs directly into their ERP system for real-time learning
• Using QR codes to make SOPs accessible at the point of work

"Yesterday alone, we made 35 SOPs. If you have 10 people doing SOPs, you won’t get far. If you have 40, you’ll get there fast.." - Brian Meyers

Takeaways:

• Exposure changes everything – Seeing Lean firsthand in Japan made Brian realize what was possible.
• SOPs aren’t just for the shop floor – Documenting office processes helps eliminate waste in administration, too.
• Ownership is key – When employees create their own SOPs, they buy in and continuously improve them.
• Just start – Perfection isn't the goal; documenting current processes leads to immediate improvements.

Links and Resources:

• Find out more Fat American Manufacturing (fatamericanmfg.com)
• Explore GembaDocs (gembadocs.com) for your SOP, skills training and lean needs.

Connect with Us:

• GembaDocs LinkedIn
• Tom’s LinkedIn
• Brian's LinkedIn 
• Lean By Doing on YouTube

🎙️ Subscribe to GembaTalk podcast for more insights on Lean culture, SOPs, and manufacturing excellence.

Tom Hughes, CEO of GembaDocs and author of "Improvement Starts with I," delivered a thought-provoking keynote at Gemba Summit 2025 that challenged widely accepted lean beliefs. Hughes systematically "exploded" lean dogmas that hold organizations back: the overemphasis on culture without technical knowledge, unrealistic expectations that everyone becomes a "lean maniac," the narrow internal focus that ignores supply chain opportunities, and the misunderstanding of what respect for people truly means.

Key Takeaways:

• Culture alone leads to plateaus - you need both cultural energy and deep technical knowledge of lean tools
• Accept the 80/20 reality - not everyone will be a lean maniac, and that's okay
• Lean opportunities exist throughout your supply chain and customer interface, not just within your four walls
• Respect for people means dignified work, dignified pay, dignified place, and dignified treatment
• For every 10% labor turnover, you lose 1% of gross margin - look honestly at your pay
• Stop holding onto unrealistic, unsustainable targets that set people up to feel like failures

Speaker Details

• Name: Tom Hughes
• Company: GembaDocs
• Website: gembadocs.com

Subscribe

🎙️ Subscribe to GembaTalk podcast for more insights on Lean culture, SOPs, and manufacturing excellence.

In this bonus episode, Tom Hughes visits FAT American Manufacturing in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to talk with Brian Meyers, one of the most prolific GembaDocs users in the world.

In just over a year, Brian’s team have created more than 2,000 SOPs - and actually uses them every day.

This episode dives into how FAT American turned standard work from a chore into a cornerstone of culture. Expect real talk about ownership, respect, and how documenting the little things unlocks big results.

"You're buying back your time by having a standard because you can just say go, here's the SOP, go check it out and follow through with it." - Brian MeyersKey Topics:

1. Making SOPs a Priority

• Why SOPs need to be part of daily conversations and celebrations
• How FAT American turned documentation into a shared responsibility

2. Building Culture Through Standards

• How morning meetings feature new SOPs
• Using standards to respect people and set them up for success

3. Buying Back Time

• The real cost of repeating instructions
• How visual SOPs cut onboarding time and boost clarity

4. Common Challenges

• Managing thousands of SOPs and avoiding duplication
• The importance of clear deployment and naming systems

5. Lessons for Every Manufacturer

• Make standards visual, not verbal
• Think like a new hire
• Don’t just create SOPs - live them

Links and Resources:

• Explore GembaDocs (https://gembadocs.com) for your SOP, skills training and lean needs.

Connect with Us:

• GembaDocs LinkedIn
• Tom’s LinkedIn
• Lean by Doing Podcast by Brian Meyers
• Fat American Manufacturing's website

🎙️ Subscribe to GembaTalk podcast for more insights on Lean culture, SOPs, and manufacturing excellence.

Oliver Conger of British Rototherm delivered a powerful transformation story at Gemba Summit 2025, sharing his journey from near-failure to lean excellence. After buying a 150-year-old manufacturing business and making things worse for five years through bad acquisitions and disastrous systems, Oliver discovered two second lean and created a culture of improvement. But they hit a plateau - culture without depth wasn't enough. Four years ago, he reluctantly sent three people to a Toyota mentoring program, and everything changed. Those people transformed, inspiring others and creating demand for the same learning. British Rototherm went all in, sending 70% of their people through the program, and was recently named Lean Exemplar for the entire UK submarine program.

Oliver shared four critical elements that built depth into their journey: clarity of leadership and team member roles, facts and data-driven decisions (including a comprehensive Andon system), coaching and challenging people to achieve the incredible, and creating structure that happens to the day rather than reacting defensively. The unexpected fifth benefit? Their lean depth accelerated their AI and automation journey, as both require the same fundamentals: continuous improvement mindset, quality data, challenging thinking, and structure. With AI employees now on their org chart and products designed for zero human touch manufacturing, Oliver asked: how many times more super can you be if you build depth into your lean journey?

Key Takeaways:

• Top management commitment is the first, second, and third most important requirement for lean success
• Absolute clarity on roles and expectations for both leaders and team members eliminates ambiguity and drives ownership
• Transform from opinion-based to fact-based decisions - without data, you're just another person with an opinion
• Implement systems like Andon that capture problems as treasures and create data for effective problem-solving
• Coach and challenge people with a full day's work - the biggest gains are locked up in your people
• Make the structure happen to the day - be offensive, not defensive in how you manage time and priorities
• Lean depth accelerates AI readiness - both require continuous improvement mindsets, quality data, and structured thinking
• Building depth through Toyota mentoring transformed British Rototherm from plateau to hosting lean events for billion-dollar programs

Speaker Details

• Name: Oliver Conger
• Company: British Rototherm Group
• Website: www.rotothermgroup.com
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-conger-2149651/

Subscribe

🎙️ Subscribe to GembaTalk podcast for more insights on Lean culture, SOPs, and manufacturing excellence.

Alan Weir, recently retired from Toyota UK after nearly 34 years, delivered a moving keynote at Gemba Summit 2025 about what truly drives excellence in lean manufacturing. Speaking in Belfast where he grew up, Alan shared insights from his time as Deputy Managing Director at one of Toyota's most efficient plants globally. His message was clear: it's not about automation or technology - it's about people.

Through powerful video testimonials and real examples, Alan demonstrated how Toyota develops every team member into a problem solver through QC circles, how leaders spend their first two hours daily at the Gemba understanding real facts rather than reading reports, and how the Andon system empowers anyone to stop the line while being thanked for raising problems. He shared a detailed case study of reducing maintenance turnover through thoughtful leadership - spending one hour per week for two years listening directly to team members and relentlessly following up on their concerns. His concluding message captured Toyota's philosophy perfectly: "First we build people, then we build cars."

Key Takeaways:

• QC circles develop every team member into a problem solver, creating 2,500 problem solvers rather than relying on management alone
• Block out the first two hours daily for Gemba walks to understand real facts at the source, not through reports or presentations
• Every person has power to pull the Andon cord, and leaders thank them for raising problems - if the Andon isn't going off, that's the real problem
• Thoughtful leadership means not accepting surface complaints at face value, but creating focus groups and spending consistent time hearing directly from team members
• Take control of your diary and structure it around Gemba time, or other departments will fill every slot
• Toyota's competitive advantage isn't automation - it's the systematic development of people and future leaders

Speaker Details

• Name: Alan Weir
• Company: Retired, Toyota UK
• Website: www.toyotauk.com
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/alan-weir-591a24a8/

Subscribe

🎙️ Subscribe to GembaTalk podcast for more insights on Lean culture, SOPs, and manufacturing excellence.