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Dutch Docs Visit VIBCO to see Lean Culture

by Linda Kleineberg | Jun 06, 2013
Dutch visitors speak with VIBCO reception

Forty health care professionals from the Netherlands visited VIBCO Vibrators on Tuesday, June 5 to study how Lean Manufacturing and VIBCO's Lean Organizational Culture operates at VIBCO. The visit was sponsored by ACHMEA , the largest insurance company in the Netherlands.

Karl Wadensten with Dutch visitors

Teams from nine Netherlands health care organizations, consisting of senior physicians, nursing and administrative leaders, toured VIBCO's end-to-end lean operation.

Governor Chafee enjoys his visit at VIBCO

The Dutch participants engaged with VIBCO employees in reception, marketing, sales and technical support, production planning, production assembly, machining, and shipping. Through those interactions, the healthcare professionals were able to make connections between manufacturing and healthcare processes including after-care, leadership, employee engagement, innovation, and material and information flow.

The visit was highlighted by a visit by Rhode Island Governor Lincoln D. Chafee and a full assembly of VIBCO employees. The Governor treated the group to a short history lesson about Rhode Island's beginnings as a "lively experiment". 

The Governor then spoke about how Rhode Island is focusing on "Meds and Eds" as part of the state's growth strategy. Governor Chafee shared his vision to build upon Rhode Island's strengths - our exceptional colleges, universities, and hospitals.

Immediately following Governor Chafee's remarks, the Dutch visitors, VIBCO staff and the governor had some informal conversations, and engaged in some additional "show-and-tell" visits around the factory.  

Here are some of the comments shared by the teams from the Netherlands following the tour:


While visiting the U.S., the Netherlands teams will also attend the Lean Healthcare Transformation Summit in Orlando, FL, and visit other organizations including Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Accurounds.

The trip is organized by the Dutch “Lean in Healthcare” Network, a non-profit foundation.


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