Lean Gulf Institute, United Arab Emirates
Overview
Since 2010, Lean Gulf Institute (LGI) is officially on a mission to make a positive difference in the lives of individuals and forward moving entities in our global community through Lean. We do not function as a consulting firm – we coach teams to ask the right questions, address the right problems so those problems do not return, and deliver solutions that enterprises value. Our goal is not give you a fish, but to teach you how to fish. When we step back, you are able to continue with the cycles of improvement to grow, share and sustain your Lean journey.
We reach out to as many enterprises as possible to enhance the quality and safety of lives and workplaces while protecting and preserving our environment for future generations. We exist to develop local talent and encourage Lean application at work, home and anywhere there is a process; to create value, eliminate waste and enrich lives, enterprises and communities. We are passionate about what we do and it shows. This passion and drive is what sets us apart, as we share Lean Thinking in the Gulf and beyond, specifically addressing the needs and aspirations within the following countries (in alphabetical order): - Bahrain - Egypt - Iran - Iraq
- Jordan - Lebanon - Kuwait - Oman - Qatar - Saudi Arabia - United Arab Emirates
Leadership
Deborah Salimi
LGI Co-founder
info@leangulf.org
Deborah enjoys challenge in culturally diverse, multi-lingual atmospheres. She is a Lean Sensei, PMP, author, speaker and has worked as a manufacturing engineer, project manager, process engineer, lecturer, professor, Organizational learning manager, Director of Career Services, and community volunteer at companies such as Intel Corp, Mitsubishi Digital Electronics, Honeywell, Hughes Aircraft/Boeing and also not for profit HealthCare and higher education in the USA and UAE.
She honed her skills in:
- Project management and training delivery through a grueling position as the master schedule owner for the construction and ramp up of Intel’s first Pentium factory in New Mexico, USA
- Lean by designing and overseeing a million dollar transfer of technology including working at the mother factory in Japan and taking two bus loads of USA employees to meet their Mexican counterparts in a maquiladora
- When she is not teaching and coaching folks on their Lean journey, you may find her writing. Most recently, she co-authored Kaizen Demystified, a collaboration of four authors who combined have led over 1000 Kaizen events.
For her contributions to the local and international community in promoting innovative engineering and business education, she received notable recognitions, including a Distinguished Faculty Award from a regional university, but her most treasured professional recognition is a familiar face approaching, smiling and saying “You helped me to see the value of my contributions at work and it changed my life for the better.†She continues to encourage those around her to continuously learn, raise their standards and just Go for It.
Sam Salimi
Managing Director
sam@leangulf.org
Sam is LGI’s founder. His entrepreneurial spirit and passion for challenge yielded lots of practice to define, implement and refine processes, reduce waste and improve effectiveness.
His Lean aptitude developed quickly when his dad put him to work after school and summers at age 10 in the family’s furniture manufacturing business. By age 18 he knew every aspect of the value stream and streamlined the operation. After becoming an engineer in USA, he held positions at fortune 500’s such as Intel Corp., Hughes Aircraft/Boeing, Honeywell and became a Director of innovation for the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) affiliated MEP network.
In 30 + years, Sam has:- Moved a traditional aerospace company to single piece flow, paperless production when everyone said it couldn’t be done
- Led 5 major improvement projects simultaneously at Intel, then shared the approach and results across the corporation
- Set up and oversaw the design, construction and operation of a Lean ink production facility in UAE which achieved 20 metric tons production per month by the end of year 1 and began supplying ink to the largest newspaper in the region
- Introduced Lean product design to small and medium businesses across the state of New Mexico
- Obtained the professional designation of Lean Sensei, awarded through the Lean Certification Alliance -SME, AME, ASQ and the Shingo Institute
- Also Went into business for himself in construction
- And Works tirelessly to grow LGI and attract key business partners
