LEAN INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING · MANUFACTURING & HEALTHCARE
Design flow from the start. Don't Kaizen it later.
We design mixed-model production lines and material flow systems for high-mix manufacturers and hospitals, then train your team to run them. Built on the method our principals wrote the book on.
Toyota Material Handling workshop partner
400+ manufacturers served
[8] books published
John Deere
Toyota Material Handling
GE Aerospace
RTX
Stanley Black & Decker
PACCAR
Carrier
Trane
Danfoss
Thyssenkrupp
John Deere
Toyota Material Handling
GE Aerospace
RTX
Stanley Black & Decker
PACCAR
Carrier
Trane
Danfoss
Thyssenkrupp
WHY LEAN DESIGN
Most lean programs remove waste after it has already been built in.
Kaizen events improve a line that was never designed for your product mix. Lean Design starts earlier: we engineer takt, work balance, layout and material presentation before the first station is bolted down, so the line flows from day one.
SERVICES
Four ways we engineer flow
01
Mixed Model Line Design
Run many products on one balanced line, sized to real demand.
Demand and mix analysis
Takt and work balance
Station and line layout
02
Material Flow & PFEP
Get the right part to the right station without shortages or clutter.
Plan for every part
Kanban, kitting, supermarkets
Delivery routes and AGVs
03
Lean Factory Layout
Greenfield or brownfield, a plant laid out for flow before you build.
Block and detailed layout
Flow and space modeling
Move and ramp-up plan
04
Lean Hospital Design
The same engineering applied to ORs, supplies and patient flow.
OR turnover
Supply and par-to-Kanban
New-build department design
HOW AN ENGAGEMENT WORKS
From data to a running line
STEP 1
Assess
Collect demand, routings and work content; map the current flow.
STEP 2
Design
Takt, balance, layout and material presentation, reviewed with your team.
STEP 3
Implement
Pilot, standard work and hands-on training on the floor.
STEP 4
Sustain
Certification and follow-up audits so your engineers can repeat it.
SOFTWARE & TRAINING
Ezbelta: one suite of tools that carries the method into your plant
Each Ezbelta tool covers one step: learn the design method, then solve what the line throws at you afterwards.
TRAINING & CERTIFICATION
Lean Design Studio
The complete method, taught online: Line Design, Material Management and Simulation Modeling, with mentoring and certification.
Three certificate tracks
Lean Design Simulator and tools
Project reviewed by our staff
Copy of the Mixed Model Line Design book
From $47/month
Explore the StudioCOMING SOON
PROBLEM SOLVING
Ezbelta A3 Writer
The classic eight-section A3, with an AI coach that questions your thinking and turns rough notes into a report worth sharing.
AI coach flags gaps as you write
Kanban board for the action plan
Real-time team collaboration
PDF export · English, Spanish, German
Launch date to be announced
Join the waitlistNot sure where to start? Most teams learn the method in the Studio, then put it to work in a hands-on workshop.
Talk to us about the right mix
HANDS-ON TRAINING
Learn it inside a Toyota plant
Three-day public workshops hosted by Toyota Material Handling: classroom design exercises in the morning, the working line in the afternoon.
Mixed Model Line Design
Nov 10–12, 2026, Columbus, IN.
Mixed Model Material Flow
Next Year · Columbus, IN.
WHO YOU WORK WITH
Led by the engineers who wrote the method
Richard Rahn
Co-founder · Principal
Coaches companies in the most important Lean skill: Mixed Model Manufacturing, built on the foundation of Lean Industrial Engineering, workflow and material flow design.
Gerard Leone
Co-founder · Principal
30+ years of hands-on experience in Lean Manufacturing and process optimization, dedicated to helping companies achieve unparalleled operational excellence.
James Cope
Executive Consultant
Helping manufacturers scale without chaos — AI strategy, Lean, digital transformation, Industry 4.0 and OpEx.
WORKSHOP FEEDBACK
What participants say
“
This workshop was an amazing culmination of Lean concepts, with practical demonstrations and examples. Overall, I would highly recommend this workshop to anyone that practices Lean in their company, as well as anyone interested in expanding their skillset.
Luis W. Rodriguez
Mixed Model Line Design Workshop, May 2025
“
One of the best trainings that I have attended in a while.
Natalia Bak
Mixed Model Material Flow Workshop, Feb 2026
FREE EBOOK
Get your free copy of Quick Start to Mixed Model Line Design
Designing the Perfect Value Stream, by Gerard Leone and Richard D. Rahn. The same framework we teach in our workshops, free to download.
- How the best companies design their manufacturing processes to flow
- Why mixed model production is a core skill for every Lean practitioner
- Written by the engineers who teach it in our workshops
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