 Michigan Lean Consortium |
Lean Excellence student competition
Represent Your School
What is the Lean Excellence Student Competition?
The Lean Excellence Student Competition is a fast-paced, hands-on challenge where teams of college students apply Lean tools to a live Kaizen-style problem, testing collaboration, critical thinking, and continuous improvement under real time pressure. Modeled after the Lean Excellence World Championship, teams work with a catapult system to collect process data and build the most standardized, repeatable process they can develop over the course of the competition — a chance for future Lean leaders to put classroom theory into hands-on practice.
- Opportunity for student teams from colleges and universities across Michigan to apply Lean principles in a live, competitive, real-world setting.
- Teams of four students and a coach work together to reduce variation, standardize their process, and are scored on both their methods and their results.
- A full competition experience combining structured challenge rounds with direct engagement with Lean practitioners and industry professionals at the Summit.
Why Compete?
- Hands-On Learning: Apply Lean principles in a dynamic, live environment, no textbooks, just teamwork and action.
- Skill Building: Sharpen collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and process improvement skills you can't get from a lecture.
- Professional Networking: Connect with industry professionals, Lean practitioners, and potential mentors at the Summit.
- Stand Out: Add a powerful, hands-on experience to your résumé that demonstrates initiative, leadership, and applied learning.
- Stay Engaged: Walk away with free Summit access and a one-year MLC student membership, joining a growing community of Lean practitioners.
Why Host a Team?
- Elevate Your Program: Highlight the strength of your curriculum through student performance in a hands-on, applied challenge.
- Industry Engagement: Build connections with Lean-focused employers, organizations, and potential internship or job partners.
- Faculty & Staff Involvement: Coaches get to observe students in action, support their development, and build valuable professional connections of their own.
- Stay Engaged: Coaches receive complimentary Summit access and a one-year individual MLC membership, connecting your program to Michigan's broader Lean community.