The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME), and the Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing, are collaborating to set a new industry standard for Lean Certification.
Arriving in the fourth quarter of 2005, the new certification is designed for manufacturing professionals who desire recognition and credentials to illustrate their knowledge and application of lean principles. Three new aspects of the certification include: "Mentoring" by and of certification candidates, "Portfolio" to illustrate how lean principles were applied within an organization and the "Examination" that assesses knowledge of lean principles.
Currently the Lean Certification is comprised of four levels:
- Level 1: knowledge of lean principles
- Level 2: ability to applying lean principles and tools to drive improvements and show measurable results
- Level 3: practitioners are expected to be senior employees/team leaders who are capable of applying lean principles, show measurable results plus orchestrate the transformation of a complete value stream
- Level 4: the practitioner has authority over assets, processes and people, with a solid understanding of all aspects of lean transformation across the entire enterprise.
