"How Ireland uses Lean to drive competitiveness" (EN)
Richard Keegan is a specialist in the areas of Lean/World Class Business and Benchmarking. His concept of developing a three tier approach to company development has been adopted as a national approach to support the development of competitiveness in Irish industry, and is known as the Lean Business Offer. Over 1,100 company projects have been supported for Enterprise Ireland clients during his leadership. His approach has been adopted by the Industrial Development Authority, and an adapted version is currently being rolled out across the country for Micro companies. The approach is being adapted for roll-out to farm based businesses. An initial pilot has been successful in the Mushroom sector and a pilot is currently underway in the pig meat production sector, at farm level, working with Bord Bia and Teagasc, the National development Agencies for food marketing and techncial farm development.
He is asked to advise major companies in Europe. Through this work he has access to developing best practice thinking and provides insights and support to some significant companies, especially in Germany, Austria and Italy.
He is an Adjunct Associate Professor, in the Business School at Trinity College Dublin and is a visiting associate professor at the University of Northern Iowa, and a guest lecturer at the Technical University of Berlin.
Working with Toyota he has led over 80 best practice missions, for over 2,000 managers to the Deeside engine plant, as well as leading a mission by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Prime Minister of Ireland to Toyota Motomachi, Japan.
He acts as the advisor to the World Class Activities of the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Co-Operation, a role he has held for nearly 20 years.
He writes on the subject of business improvement, typically around the areas of World Class Business, Lean and Benchmarking. His most recent E-Book, the Five Rings of Lean Business Excellence is now published and has been translated and publiushed in Germany.
He has worked previously for DAF Trucks, Nokia, Nestle and the ESB.
He likes to ride motorcycles, long distances.