FEATURE - With heavy hearts, we share the news of the passing of Peter Walsh, a pioneer of the Lean Community. Peter's work was instrumental in allowing Lean Thinking to take root in Australia, as some of those who knew him tell us here.

Peter Walsh passed away peacefully in the early hours of Christmas Day, at the age of 85. A lean pioneer, Peter dedicated his career to helping manufacturing companies improve and thrive.

In 1981, Peter visited Toyota in Japan and discovered a fundamentally different approach to manufacturing compared to what could be observed in Australia, the USA, and Europe. From that moment on, he dedicated himself to studying and applying the principles of the Toyota Production System (TPS), the Kawasaki Production System (a TPS derivative), and Lean Thinking.

In 1985, Peter hosted Taiichi Ohno’s visit to Australia, strengthening his connection to the world of Lean. He met Jim Womack and Dan Jones in 1997 and later founded Lean Enterprise Australia (LEA) in 2003. That same year, he organized LEA’s first public event, featuring Jim Womack and José Ferro as presenters, with over 250 attendees.

Peter’s career was built on a strong foundation, beginning with an honors degree in Engineering. His professional roles included Plant Manager, Management Consultant, and Company Chairman. He was also recognized as a world automotive industry specialist by a major international consulting company.

Peter contributed significantly to Australia’s Lean Community. He participated in government-led studies, authored papers on Lean Thinking for the Australian Society of Accountants, and spoke at Value Chain Management conferences organized by the Commonwealth Government. Over the years, he provided guidance and advice to organizations both large and small in Australia and worked extensively in the UK, USA, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Belgium, and New Zealand.

Until recently, Peter remained active in coaching Lean Thinking and Practice. He also served as Treasurer for the Lean Global Network for many years. In 2018, he handed over the reins of Lean Enterprise Australia to Alister Lee and Denise Bennett but continued to serve as a board member.

Peter’s work and legacy have left an indelible mark on the Lean Community and the many industries he supported throughout his remarkable career.

We have asked some of our leaders from the Lean Global Network to share their thoughts about Peter.

Dan Jones, Senior Advisor, Lean Enterprise Academy

Like many of us, Peter was deeply affected by what he saw at Toyota – a people-centric system that was achieving much better results than traditionally-managed organizations, with their reliance on technology and scale. He even beat Jim and me to Japan by a year! We organized our first conference there in 1982. He famously also got to meet the legendary Taiichi Ohno, whom sadly we missed.

It took us another fifteen years to prove the power of this system to the world and to work out how others could follow Toyota’s example. We met Peter as we were figuring out how to spread these practices across to the world. His experience of the limitations of doing so through management consulting was very valuable. The common challenge he faced in Australia and I faced in the UK was how to spread these practices beyond a declining manufacturing base into other sectors. I was deeply encouraged by the pioneering work of the healthcare team in Adelaide, led by Michael, David, Mel and Denise, which I saw first hand in 2005. This gave me the courage to organize the first Global Lean Healthcare Summit in the UK in 2007. We now recognize this was just the beginning of a long journey in healthcare, one that continues to this day. Peter helped plant many seeds of Lean Thinking in Australia and across the world, which will continue to flourish beyond his passing.

Jim Womack, Senior Advisor, Lean Enterprise Institute

Dan Jones and I first met Peter in 1997, just as we were starting to think about creating what became the Lean Global Network. We realized that the success of the network would depend on finding someone in each country who had lean knowledge, energy, and a broad spirit of collaboration. And Peter had all of the qualities needed to take the lead in Australia.

Setting up institutes is never as easy as it seems. Customization to the local environment is essential and leaders and staff with the right mix of skills are sure to be in demand for other activities. So, it took us six years to add Lean Enterprise Australia to the network and this absolutely would not have happened without Peter’s energy and determination.

I made several trips to Australia while we were working on the LEA and eventually received what I believe was its highest honor – a ride in the passenger seat of Peter’s white Jaguar, the vehicle and the very seat that transported Taiichi Ohno on his golf outings in Australia after his retirement from Toyota. As we drove, we talked about Ohno’s missionary spirit and our obligation to carry it on to the next generation. Peter did this energetically in his adopted country and eventually at many other locales in the LGN as a member of the executive committee.

We all owe Peter a debt of gratitude for his enthusiasm, generosity, and lean leadership.

John Shook, Senior Advisor, Lean Global Network

Peter Walsh was a colleague, friend, gracious host, and leader in his adopted homeland of Australia. He played an instrumental role in bringing Lean Thinking and Practice to the country. Witnessing the struggles of the industry throughout Australia, Peter naturally looked to the land of the world’s best manufacturing at that time, Japan, and the best manufacturing in that country, Toyota, for inspiration and knowledge. He even took the initiative to bring Taiichi Ono, father of the Toyota Production System, to Australia for a series of site visits and lectures. And golf. Loading clubs and golfing fanatic Ohno-san into his beloved Jaguar XJ6.3 to hit the links, Peter thereafter proudly informed every passenger who rode in it that they were sitting in the “Ohno seat”.

From there, Peter founded Lean Enterprise Australia, eventually introducing lean to countless individuals and companies, not to mention every type of organization. Of special note, Peter played a seminal role in the development of lean heathcare in Australia. He helped bring lean to Flinders Hospital in Adelaide, one of the earliest and most successful applications of lean to healthcare that I have seen to this day.

Peter will be missed. He never failed to treat people with respect and collegiality. To those of us who knew Peter Walsh,  it is comforting to know that he passed comfortably in Australia, the land he loved.

Denise Bennett, Lean Coach, Lean Enterprise Australia

Peter will forever be remembered as the founder of Lean Enterprise Australia (LEA) and a true pioneer of this business management approach. Each year, he brought likeminded people together to learn, share and network at our annual summit. He taught hundreds of eager learners the lean fundamentals in workshops and presentations.

He assisted a team of us at Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide, translate this approach developed at Toyota to healthcare where we successfully reduced patient harm and increased access to care. I have vivid memories of our struggle to apply the five principles to our sector where our product was also our patient. Peter was instrumental in setting us up for success, and then promoting our efforts and learning across the globe.

On a personal note, Peter helped shape my change in career to Lean Thinking coach. He was generous with his time and always enthusiastic to progress my knowledge and experience of Lean. I have many memories of our meetings and meals together in the RACV club, the William Street office and the Melbourne Club where we reflected, learned and planned the advancement of Lean Thinking in Australia. He welcomed me into his beloved organization and provided me with many coaching and networking opportunities.

Peter will be remembered for his gentle spirit, his thoughtfulness, and his wisdom. His contribution to lean-based improvement and leadership is a legacy that will live on through the work of LEA decades into the future.