Experiencing Lean at Xylem Design
Join us on a lean tour
We visit Xylem Design—a 25-30 person wood shop in Colorado that has been practicing 2 Second Lean and elements of the Toyota Production System for over five years.
Experience Xylem’s unique culture, observe their daily routines, hear from employee and management interviews, and much more!
Contents of the Virtual Tour
Greg Glebe (CEO, Xylem Design) and Daniel recorded a one-of-a-kind webinar with deep analysis of their culture and history. It’s yours on replay!
Explore employee interviews, problem-solving sessions, 5S, the daily meeting, and Xylem’s many lean tools and artifacts.
Witness Xylem’s daily lean operating system of the startup meeting, 5S/kaizen period, gemba walks, and daily meeting. Follow Daniel and Greg on the production floor.
Daniel asks Greg Glebe and Seth Braverman the tough and fun questions about their lean journey, including successes and failures (21 min).
Listen to frontline team members reflect honestly about Xylem’s difficult but successful transition to elements of the Toyota Production System (TPS) and 2 Second Lean.
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Course Contents
Section 1: Introduction
Webinar Recording
Module Contents
- 75 minute webinar replay
- Some slides, but LOTS of HD video
- Emloyee interviews, gemba walk, lean artifacts, and more.
- 35 minutes of live Q&A with CEO Greg Glebe.
Xylem Playbook
Module Contents
- See Xylem’s half-sheet “playbook” containing a snapshot of their company culture and lean practices.
- This is an incredible distillation of Patrick Lencioni’s “organizational health” teachings along with TPS and 2 Second Lean thinking.
Section 2: Employee Interviews
Brain (1 month)
Module Contents
- We interview Brian about his experience as a new hire at Xylem for 1 month.
Antonio (2 years)
Module Contents
- We interview Antonio about his 2 years working at Xylem Design.
Rob (4 years)
Module Contents
- We interview Rob about his 4 years working at Xylem Design.
Stephen (5 years)
Module Contents
- We interview Stephen about his 5 years working at Xylem Design.
Patrick (7 years)
Module Contents
- We interview Patrick about his 7 years working at Xylem Design.
Tony (7 years) and Brad (11 years)
Module Contents
- We interview Tony and Brad about their 18 years of combined experience working at Xylem Design.
Greg Glebe (CEO) and Seth Braverman (COO)
Module Contents
- We interview Greg and Seth about how they got started doing lean, their successes, their challenges, and their recommendations to others.
Section 3: Lean Management System
Pre Production Meeting
Module Contents
- Observe Xylem’s pre-production standup meeting where work is assigned and the day is planned.
Morning 5S Period
Module Contents
- Follow us along as we observe Xylem’s morning 3S/5S improvement period.
- Witness sort, shine, and standardize in action.
- Witness kaizen or “2 second lean” improvements taking place.
Morning Gemba Walk
Module Contents
- Follow Greg Glebe (CEO) as he performs a gemba walk on the production floor and follows up on a recent production problem.
- Witness the use of Xylem’s “Gemba Board” to promote daily problem-solving and management involvement.
- Watch the team solve an internal quality problem.
The Daily Meeting
Module Contents
- Observe Xylem’s “daily meeting” inspired by 2 Second Lean where all employees huddle together to connect, coordinate, and learn.
Section 4: Lean Tools and Methods
Lean Artifacts
Module Contents
- Survey lean artifacts at Xylem Design… work cell organization and layout, 5S practices, labeling, training matrices, andon lights, scheduling systems, and more.
Kanban System
Module Contents
- See and overview of Xylem’s kanban card system for materials, and a modified system used at the CNC machine for router bits.
The Lean Bathroom
Module Contents
- Explore the contents of the Xylem bathroom in the spirit of 2 Second Lean!
Join the Lean Smarts Academy
Access all our courses with your subscription to the Lean Smarts Academy.