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The past has shown that the successful implementation of lean in organizations needs employees with sufficient knowledge about methods and principles of lean management. The mediation of these skills during the ongoing production is known as a more efficient concept than other approaches. Consequences could be an additional cost and time pressure. Therefore the Fraunhofer IPK and TU Berlin have developed a training concept, together with a German pharmaceutical company, which makes it possible for the employees to acquire the new knowledge under real conditions and without disruption of production. The paper introduces this concept of a “Lean Factory” for pharmacy.

This paper discusses the combination of learning factories and situated (on-the-job) ICT-based social learning, as well as the didactics of learning factories and ICT-based situated learning. Moreover, a case study at the Lean Lab - learning factory in Norway is described, with results from questionnaires sent participators/students about the learning outcome in the lifelong learning aspect. Three managers where asked to what extent their company benefited from the lean lab workshops. The paper suggests an enhancement of the learning factory with an online course before and after the lean lab workshop session. This can both make the simulations at the learning lab more effective as well as enhance the usefulness of the learning into positive change for the companies.