Keynote Podcast from Ryan Tierney from Lean Made Simple at Gemba Summit 2025
Ryan Tierney, founder of Lean Made Simple and CEO of Seating Matters, delivered an inspiring keynote at Gemba Summit 2025 about his bold decision to start over and transform Sperrin Metal – a 63-year-old Northern Ireland company that had lost its way.
Just 11 years ago, Ryan was stressed and overworked, watching a YouTube video at 3:30 in the morning when something clicked and lit a fire that has never gone out. After building Seating Matters into a world-class lean organization with people flying in from around the globe for tours, Ryan found himself “polishing a shiny thing” and yearning for massive impact. His vision of “making Ireland the next Japan” – conceived on a flight back from Japan with his son James – created such energy that people started reaching out asking how they could be part of it. One month later, Sperrin Metal came up for sale.
When Ryan, his brothers Jonathan and Martin, and board chairman Rob walked through the factory and sat down for tea afterward, they all looked at each other and said “we need to buy that place” because it was so chaotic.
Ryan’s mantra is simple: a chaotic Gemba equals a chaotic company, and there’s no such thing as a chaotic shop floor with a perfectly run business. The waste they saw made their eyes light up with opportunity. Now, three months into the transformation, Ryan is making an audacious declaration: Sperrin Metal is going to be “the biggest lean transformation the world has ever seen” and “the best lean organization in the world” – yes, even with Toyota people sitting in the room. His presentation revealed the secret formula behind the 50-day transformation that has people asking “how did you do it?” and introduced a powerful new mantra that’s changing how everyone thinks about improvement.
Watch keynote
Key takeaways
- Sometimes you have to start over and jump into the deep end to have massive impact, not polish a shiny thing forever
- Ryan’s vision: make Ireland the next Japan – declared on a flight back from Japan, creating energy that attracted supporters
- A chaotic Gemba equals a chaotic company – there’s no such thing as a chaotic shop floor with a perfectly run business
- Bring everyone to see your vision – Sperrin Metal visited Seating Matters first to fast-track the transformation
- “How Can I Improve This?” – ask yourself 200-300 times daily focusing on what YOU can improve right now
- Three requirements for lean leadership: vision for lean, unwavering passion, and effective communication
- Lead by doing, not by spending years planning the perfect manifesto
- Everyone can be the Ryan in their own circles – you’re the next domino creating ripple effects in your community
Speaker details
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