Lean Logistics for Supply Chain Operations Training Course

Lean Logistics for Supply Chain Operations Training Course is a 5-day intermediate course on removing waste from transport, warehousing and material flow. It is for managers and supervisors who run logistics, warehouse and distribution operations. You map real logistics flows, redesign them with pull and flow methods, and leave with a completed Lean Logistics Improvement Plan for your own operation. The course is delivered by Mercury Training Center.

About This Course

Trucks run half empty, stock sits in the wrong place and pickers walk more than they pick. To follow this course you should already supervise a transport, warehouse or distribution activity. You practice by mapping case value streams, sizing pull loops and redesigning a warehouse layout step by step.

Who It Is For

• Managers responsible for the cost, speed and service level of distribution operations
• Supervisors who run receiving, storage, picking and dispatch in a warehouse or distribution center
• Transport planners who build routes, loads and delivery schedules
• Supply chain staff who plan material supply to production lines or stores
• Continuous improvement staff assigned to logistics projects

This course is not for newcomers who need an introduction to logistics terms, who are better served by a foundation logistics course, nor for directors who want network strategy and outsourcing decisions, who are better served by a strategic supply chain course.

Competencies You Will Build

• Logistics Waste Recognition: you spot excess transport, waiting, handling and inventory on the floor and on the road
• Value Stream Analysis: you map a logistics flow end to end and find where lead time is lost
• Pull System Design: you replace push replenishment with kanban and supermarket loops sized to demand
• Lean Transport Planning: you consolidate freight and design milk runs and cross-dock flows
• Lean Warehouse Organization: you apply 5S and slotting so storage follows the movement of goods
• Kaizen Leadership: you run short improvement cycles and track them with logistics KPIs

What You Will Be Able to Do

By the end of the course you will be able to:

• From shipment and warehouse records, draw a current-state value stream map of a logistics flow with lead time and value-added time
• Given daily demand and replenishment data, calculate kanban quantities for a supermarket loop
• Using delivery addresses and volumes, design a milk run that reduces trips and empty kilometers
• Given pick frequency data, propose a slotting plan that shortens picker travel
• Using baseline figures, set a KPI board for on-time delivery, inventory days, dock-to-stock time and cost per shipment
• From a list of problems, prioritize kaizen actions by effort and impact for a first improvement cycle

Course Content

Day 1: Lean Thinking in Logistics

• Lean Principles Applied to Transport, Storage and Distribution
• The Seven Wastes in Logistics Operations
• Demand Fluctuation and Its Effect on Inventory and Flow Stability
• Logistics Gemba Walk Observation Checklist
• Baseline Logistics KPIs: On-Time Delivery, Inventory Days and Cost per Shipment

Day 2: Value Stream Mapping of Logistics Flows

• Current-State Value Stream Mapping from Supplier to Customer
• Lead Time Ladder and Value-Added Ratio Calculation
• Information Flow and Order Processing Delays
• Future-State Map Design for a Distribution Flow
• Prioritizing Improvement Loops on the Future-State Map

Day 3: Pull, Flow and Lean Transport

• Kanban Loops and Supermarket Sizing for Material Supply
• Point-of-Use Supply and Leveled Replenishment
• Milk Run Design for Inbound and Outbound Deliveries
• Cross-Docking Flows to Remove Storage Steps
• Freight Consolidation and Load Planning to Cut Empty Kilometers

Day 4: Lean Warehousing

• 5S Implementation in Receiving, Storage and Dispatch Areas
• Slotting by Pick Frequency and Product Velocity
• Standard Work for Picking and Packing Operations
• Visual Management and Dock Scheduling Boards
• Dock-to-Stock Time and Pick Accuracy Measurement

Day 5: Lean Logistics Improvement Practice

• Exercise Revisiting the Future-State Map with Kanban and Milk Run Designs
• Exercise Testing a Slotting and 5S Plan on a Case Warehouse Layout
• Exercise Building a Logistics KPI Board with Targets
• Kaizen Cycle Planning and Sustaining Lean Routines
• Completing and Presenting the Lean Logistics Improvement Plan

Case Studies and Exercises

The following are suggested activities used during the course.

• Case study: a food distributor whose delivery vans leave partly loaded on fixed routes; you redesign routes as milk runs and consolidate loads.
• Case study: an automotive parts plant where line-side stock overflows while parts still run out; you size a kanban supermarket loop.
• Exercise: a retail distribution center with long picker walks; you build a slotting plan from pick frequency data.
• Exercise: a pharmaceutical wholesaler with slow receiving; you map the dock-to-stock flow and test a cross-dock option.

What You Take Back

You return with a Lean Logistics Improvement Plan for your own operation. In your first month back you use it to walk the flow with your team, record baseline KPIs, agree one pilot area with your manager and start the first kaizen cycle.

• Current-state and future-state value stream maps
• Kanban, milk run or cross-dock design for one flow
• Slotting and 5S plan for one storage area
• Logistics KPI board and kaizen action list

Quick Answers (FAQ)

What should I know before a lean logistics training course?

You should already supervise or plan transport, warehouse or distribution work and read basic operational data such as volumes, stock levels and delivery times. Prior lean training helps but is not required, since each lean method is introduced before you apply it.

How does a lean logistics course differ from a general logistics and supply chain management course?

A general course surveys planning, procurement, inventory and distribution as a whole. This intermediate course applies one method, lean, to logistics flows, so you work on waste, value stream maps, pull loops, milk runs and warehouse slotting in detail.

Can lean principles work in logistics as well as in manufacturing?

Yes. Transport, storage and handling carry the same wastes as a factory: waiting, excess movement, overstock and rework. Value stream mapping, pull replenishment, 5S and kaizen transfer directly to docks, warehouses and delivery routes.

What do I take back from lean logistics training?

You take back a Lean Logistics Improvement Plan with value stream maps, a pull or transport design for one flow, a slotting and 5S plan and a KPI board with kaizen actions for your own operation.

For Your Manager

After the course, your team member will be able to map a logistics flow, remove waste in transport and storage, design pull and milk run systems and organize a warehouse area with 5S and slotting. They return with a Lean Logistics Improvement Plan, first used to record baseline KPIs, select a pilot area and run the first kaizen cycle.