James Womack

Lean Thinking, machine that changed the world

Founder and senior adviser of the Lean Enterprise Institute, a non-profit research and education organisation focused on lean practice. Co-authored 'The Machine That Changed the World' (1990), which introduced lean production to a global audience by studying the Toyota Production System, and followed it with 'Lean Thinking' (1996), codifying the five core lean principles. His work reshaped operations management across manufacturing and services worldwide.