Meetings where
knowledge is shared.
Lean Champions is about more than projects and rankings. Throughout the year, participants open their factories to one another, showcase real processes and talk to the people behind the improvements. Here you can follow the community meetings through videos, photos and real moments from the factories.
Lean Champions Meeting
Lean Champions · The community after completing its first annual cycle
The Lean Champions Trophy
🏆 Q1 2025 Lean Champions Meeting
The meeting took place on 23 April 2025 and marked the beginning of the first edition of the Lean Champions community meetings in Bulgaria.
The video below captures the atmosphere of the event and shows how the meeting unfolded – with inspiration, energy and engagement.
Special thanks to our hosts at Kostal Bulgaria Automotive Ltd. for the excellent organisation and warm hospitality.
📌 Meet the Participants
🖼️ Meeting Gallery
🏆 Q2 2025 Lean Champions Meeting
The meeting took place on 4 July 2025 at Alcomet AD in Shumen. Thank you to all participants for an inspiring day filled with Lean energy, engagement and shared experience. Watch the video below for highlights from the meeting, including the factory tour and the Lean projects presented by the participating teams.
🎥 Meeting Video
📌 Meet the Participants
🖼️ Meeting Gallery
🏆 Q3 2025 Lean Champions Meeting
The meeting took place on 3 October 2025 and was hosted by two companies: Linamar Light Metals Ruse Ltd. and TVH Bulgaria Ltd.. Thank you to all participants for the strong Lean energy, exchange of experience and inspiring Kaizen stories throughout the day!
🎥 Meeting Video
👉 Watch the Q3 2025 video on YouTube
📌 Meet the Participants
🖼️ Meeting Gallery
📸 Group Photo
All participants from the Lean Champions Q3 2025 meeting in Ruse.
🏭 Visit to TVH Bulgaria Ltd.
Lean practices demonstration and production tour at TVH Bulgaria.
🏭 Visit to Linamar Light Metals Ruse Ltd.
A look at production areas, 5S and Autonomous Maintenance at Linamar Ruse.
🧾 Q3 2025 Project Presentations
The teams presented their Lean projects, received feedback and exchanged good practices.
🏆 Q4 2025 Lean Champions Meeting
The Q4 2025 meeting included visits to two host factories: APS Trading Ltd. and NIKI Ltd.. The day was filled with real examples, exchange of good practices and strong Lean energy.
🎥 Meeting Video
📌 Meet the Participants
🖼️ Meeting Gallery
🏭 Visit to APS Trading Ltd.
Photos from the visit, demonstrations and Lean practices at APS Trading.
🏭 Visit to NIKI Ltd.
Photos from the factory tour and exchange of good practices at NIKI.
📊 Q4 Project Presentations
Photos from the presentation of Lean projects and results during the Q4 meeting.
🏆 Lean Champions 2025 Annual Evaluation
The Grand Final of 2025 brings the Lean community together for two days that are more than just an event – they are a celebration of sustainable improvement. Here, we are not competing against each other, but against ourselves – through real results, the courage to change processes and the discipline to make them better every day.
📅 8–9 January 2026 – meeting in Pravets and Botevgrad
🌍 Day 1: visits to two host factories – NIKI Ltd. and APS Trading Ltd.
📈 Day 2: final Q4 project presentations, annual evaluation by an international jury and the award ceremony
🏨 Location: Hyatt Regency Pravets Resort
At the annual evaluation, we celebrate real improvements – 5S, Kaizen, Autonomous Maintenance and discipline in following standards. This is where we see what Lean culture really means – not as a presentation, but as everyday habits in the factory.
🎬 Lean Champions Annual Review
A video highlighting the development of the initiative throughout the year, the quarterly meetings, the international jury and the final evaluation.
🖼️ Gallery – Annual Meeting & Award Ceremony
Moments from the annual Lean Champions ceremony and the gathering of teams that worked on real Lean projects throughout the year and achieved sustainable results.
🏭 Q1 2026 Lean Champions – Factory Visit to LEM Bulgaria Ltd.
📅 17 February 2026
A meeting focused on a factory tour, observation of the real production environment and exchange of good practices among the participants.
🎬 Video from the Visit
🖼️ Gallery from the Visit
🏭 Q1 2026 Lean Champions – Factory Visit to AQ Plastronik
📅 24 March 2026
A meeting focused on a factory tour, observation of the real production environment and exchange of good practices among the Lean Champions participants.
🎬 Video from the Visit
🖼️ Gallery from the Visit
🏭 Q1 2026 Lean Champions – Meeting at SÜDWOLLE GROUP ITALIA – BULSAFIL, Plovdiv
📅 24 April 2026
The first quarterly meeting of 2026 included presentations of the Q1 projects, voting and ranking, a factory visit and an exchange of experience among the Lean Champions participants.
🎬 Video from the Meeting
🎥 Official Video from the Meeting
Q1 2026 meeting at SÜDWOLLE GROUP ITALIA – BULSAFIL, Plovdiv.
🖼️ Gallery from the Meeting
🏭 Q2 2026 Lean Champions – Meeting #4 at Kostal Bulgaria Automotive
📅 22 May 2026
A meeting focused on the factory tour, team development, exchange of best practices, and the role of people in building a sustainable Lean culture.
🎬 Video from the Meeting
🖼️ Meeting Gallery
🏭 Q2 2026 Lean Champions – Meeting at JDE Bulgaria
📅 12 June 2026
A meeting focused on the factory tour, exchange of best practices, development of Lean culture, and presentation of JDE Bulgaria's approach to continuous improvement.
🎬 Video from the Meeting
🖼️ Meeting Gallery
🏭 Q2 2026 Lean Champions – Meeting at Ottobock Manufacturing Bulgaria
📅 3 July 2026
The second quarterly Lean Champions meeting of 2026 brought the participants together at Ottobock Manufacturing Bulgaria to present their Q2 progress and projects, take part in a factory tour, and exchange practical experience between companies from different industries.
The meeting demonstrated the strength of the community – when manufacturing companies ask questions, compare approaches, and share real experience, development becomes faster, more practical, and more sustainable.
🎬 Video from the Meeting
🖼️ Meeting Gallery
🏭 Lean Champions 2026 – Meeting #7 at Alcomet AD
📅 7 August 2026
Meeting #7 of Lean Champions 2026 brought us back to Alcomet AD – one of the most impressive manufacturing complexes in its industry in Bulgaria.
This was the second Lean Champions visit to the plant following our meeting in 2025. Companies that had already participated in the first visit used the opportunity to involve additional colleagues this time, allowing more people to experience first-hand the scale, organisation and manufacturing processes at Alcomet.
The meeting focused on the factory tour, practical exchange of experience and the opportunity for participants to see real manufacturing solutions and good practices directly at the gemba.
🎬 Video from the Meeting
🖼️ Meeting Gallery
