Rankings
Lean Champions Rankings
Annual and quarterly Lean Champions rankings based on the published 5S, Kaizen and participant-assessment results.
The rankings document progress in 5S, Kaizen and the participant assessment recorded by the Lean Champions initiative. The figures below reproduce the published source data.
A dash means that the source table did not contain a result for that period.
2025 Annual Ranking
| Company | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Average (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kostal Bulgaria Automotive Ltd. π₯ | 94.9% | 91.0% | 90.4% | 89.7% | 91.5% |
| NIKI Ltd. π₯ | 93.3% | 87.0% | 88.1% | 86.6% | 88.8% |
| APS Trading Ltd. π₯ | 93.3% | 87.0% | 90.4% | 83.8% | 88.6% |
| TVH Bulgaria Ltd. | 90.3% | 87.0% | 91.2% | 84.9% | 88.3% |
| Linamar Light Metals Ruse Ltd. | 85.6% | 91.0% | 93.1% | 82.1% | 87.9% |
| Alcomet AD β Automotive Team | 83.9% | 89.0% | 89.7% | 87.4% | 87.5% |
| Alcomet AD β Press Shop | 85.7% | 86.0% | 85.7% | 85.3% | 85.7% |
| LEM Bulgaria Ltd. | 91.1% | 67.0% | 90.4% | 85.7% | 83.6% |
Lean Champion 2025 β Final Annual Result
| Lean Champions | Average Q1βQ4 2025 result (50%) | Jury assessment (25%) | Participant vote (25%) | Final result 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NIKI Ltd. π₯ | 44.38% | 23.33% | 16.07% | 83.78% |
| Alcomet AD β Automotive Team π₯ | 43.75% | 22.50% | 15.48% | 81.72% |
| Kostal Bulgaria Automotive Ltd. π₯ | 45.75% | 20.42% | 14.29% | 80.45% |
| TVH Bulgaria Ltd. | 44.17% | 20.42% | 14.29% | 78.87% |
| Linamar Light Metals Ruse Ltd. | 43.97% | 22.08% | 11.90% | 77.96% |
| Alcomet AD β Press Shop | 42.83% | 20.83% | 15.00% | 78.67% |
| LEM Bulgaria Ltd. | 41.78% | 25.00% | 11.31% | 78.09% |
| APS Trading Ltd. | 44.32% | 20.42% | 11.31% | 76.04% |
2025 Participants' Award
| No. | Lean Champions | Rating 1 | Rating 2 | Rating 3 | Rating 4 | Rating 5 | Rating 6 | Rating 7 | Rating 8 | Average rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kostal Bulgaria Automotive Ltd. π₯ | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2.88 |
| 2 | NIKI Ltd. π₯ | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2.75 |
| 3 | Linamar Light Metals Ruse Ltd. π₯ | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2.50 |
| 4 | Alcomet AD β Automotive Shop | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2.25 |
| 5 | APS Trading Ltd. | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2.00 |
| 6 | LEM Bulgaria Ltd. | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1.88 |
| 7 | TVH Bulgaria Ltd. | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1.88 |
| 8 | Alcomet AD β Press Shop | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1.38 |
Lean Champions Q1 2025 Ranking
| No. | Lean Champions | 5S audit 1 | 5S audit 2 | 5S target | 5S result | Kaizen KPI | Before quarter | After quarter | Kaizen target | Kaizen result | Voting score | Voting result | Final result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kostal Bulgaria Automotive Ltd. | 94% | 96% | 96% | 100% | Efficiency | 89.7% | 99.8% | 99.8% | 100% | 5.2 | 84.6% | 94.9% π₯ |
| 2 | APS Trading Ltd. | 25% | 81% | 45% | 100% | Labour hours per unit | 0.57 | 0.35 | 0.51 | 100% | 5.0 | 80.0% | 93.3% π₯ |
| 3 | NIKI Ltd. | 23% | 68% | 60% | 100% | AM plan completion | 0.0% | 37.0% | 37.0% | 100% | 5.0 | 80.0% | 93.3% π₯ |
| 4 | LEM Bulgaria Ltd. | 88% | 92% | 92% | 100% | AM plan completion | 0.0% | 20.0% | 20.0% | 100% | 4.7 | 73.3% | 91.1% π₯ |
| 5 | TVH Bulgaria Ltd. | 9% | 61% | 45% | 100% | Average monthly output | 8729 | 9997 | 9200 | 100% | 4.5 | 70.8% | 90.3% |
| 6 | Alcomet AD β Press Shop | 22% | 43% | 45% | 96% | Yield | 58% | 65% | 65% | 100% | 4.1 | 61.4% | 85.7% |
| 7 | Linamar Light Metals Ruse Ltd. | 68% | 86% | 80% | 100% | FA 7 efficiency | 40.0% | 53.0% | 52.0% | 100% | 3.8 | 56.7% | 85.6% |
| 8 | Alcomet AD β Automotive Shop | 9% | 38% | 45% | 84% | Occupied pallets | 182 | 96 | 98 | 98% | 4.5 | 69.2% | 83.9% |
Lean Champions Q2 2025 Ranking
| No. | Lean Champions | 5S audit 1 | 5S audit 2 | 5S target | 5S result | Kaizen KPI | Before quarter | After quarter | Kaizen target | Kaizen result | Voting score | Voting result | Final result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kostal Bulgaria Automotive Ltd. | 98% | 98% | 98% | 100% | Scrap rate | 3.0% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 100% | 2.18 | 73% | 91% π₯ |
| 2 | Linamar Light Metals Ruse Ltd. | 70% | 85% | 80% | 100% | Core-making department efficiency | 47.0% | 50.0% | 48.0% | 100% | 2.18 | 73% | 91% π₯ |
| 3 | Alcomet AD β Automotive Shop | 25% | 90% | 75% | 100% | AM plan completion (%) | 0 | 8% | 8% | 100% | 2.0 | 67% | 89% π₯ |
| 4 | TVH Bulgaria Ltd. | 27% | 97% | 60% | 100% | Production lead-time reduction (days) | 29 | 24 | 24 | 100% | 1.82 | 61% | 87% π₯ |
| 5 | NIKI Ltd. | 57% | 94% | 97% | 97% | AM plan completion | 37.0% | 57.0% | 57.0% | 100% | 1.91 | 64% | 87% π₯ |
| 6 | APS Trading Ltd. | 31% | 89% | 70% | 100% | Material-preparation time reduction (min.) | 246 | 74 | 20% | 100% | 1.82 | 61% | 87% π₯ |
| 7 | Alcomet AD β Press Shop | 43% | 88% | 90% | 98% | AM implementation in 3 areas (%) | 0 | 3 | 3 | 100% | 1.83 | 61% | 86% |
| 8 | LEM Bulgaria Ltd. | 30% | 73% | 70% | 100% | AM plan completion | 20.0% | 40.0% | 40.0% | 100% | 0.0 | 0% | 67% |
Lean Champions Q3 2025 Ranking
| No. | Lean Champions | 5S audit 1 | 5S audit 2 | 5S target | 5S result | Kaizen KPI | Before quarter | After quarter | Kaizen target | Kaizen result | Voting score | Voting result | Final result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Linamar Light Metals Ruse Ltd. | 72% | 82% | 80% | 100% | Core-making department efficiency | 50.0% | 49.0% | 51.0% | 96% | 2.50 | 83% | 93.1% π₯ |
| 2 | TVH Bulgaria Ltd. | 50% | 97% | 80% | 100% | Productivity β average cylinders per month | 45 | 53 | 50 | 100% | 2.21 | 74% | 91.2% π₯ |
| 3 | Kostal Bulgaria Automotive Ltd. | 98% | 98% | 98% | 100% | Monthly storage-cost reduction by 15% | β¬ 270,000 | β¬ 229,500 | β¬ 229,500 | 100% | 2.14 | 71% | 90.4% π₯ |
| 3 | APS Trading Ltd. | 44% | 93% | 75% | 100% | TPH line efficiency improvement | 37.50% | 26.70% | 30% | 100% | 2.14 | 71% | 90.4% π₯ |
| 3 | LEM Bulgaria Ltd. | 95% | 95% | 95% | 100% | AM plan completion | 17.0% | 37.0% | 37.0% | 100% | 2.14 | 71% | 90.4% π₯ |
| 4 | Alcomet AD β Automotive Shop | 25% | 90% | 75% | 100% | AM plan completion (%) | 8 | 24% | 24% | 100% | 2.07 | 69% | 89.7% |
| 5 | NIKI Ltd. | 53% | 85% | 80% | 100% | AM plan completion | 57.0% | 69.0% | 69.0% | 100% | 1.93 | 64% | 88.1% |
| 6 | Alcomet AD β Press Shop | 43% | 88% | 80% | 100% | AM implementation in 5 areas (%) | 3 | 8 | 5 | 100% | 1.71 | 57% | 85.7% |
Lean Champions Q4 2025 Ranking
| No. | Lean Champions | 5S audit 1 | 5S audit 2 | 5S target | 5S result | Kaizen KPI | Before quarter | After quarter | Kaizen target | Kaizen result | Voting score | Voting result | Final result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kostal Bulgaria Automotive Ltd. | 98% | 98% | 98% | 100% | FTE optimisation in raw-material delivery | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 2.07 | 69% | 89.7% π₯ |
| 2 | Alcomet AD β Automotive Shop | 25% | 87% | 85% | 100% | AM plan completion (%) | 24 | 64% | 64% | 100% | 1.87 | 62% | 87.4% π₯ |
| 3 | NIKI Ltd. | 53% | 90% | 80% | 100% | AM plan completion | 69.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100% | 1.79 | 60% | 86.6% π₯ |
| 4 | LEM Bulgaria Ltd. | 42% | 87% | 85% | 100% | Production-floor space saved (mΒ²) | 210 mΒ² | 194 mΒ² | 194 mΒ² | 100% | 1.71 | 57% | 85.7% |
| 5 | Alcomet AD β Press Shop | 43% | 79% | 80% | 99% | AM implementation in 5 areas (%) | 8 | 11 | 11 | 100% | 1.71 | 57% | 85.3% |
| 6 | TVH Bulgaria Ltd. | 32% | 95% | 80% | 100% | Future cost avoidance | β¬ 50,000 | β¬ 62,000 | β¬ 50,000 | 100% | 1.64 | 55% | 84.9% |
| 7 | APS Trading Ltd. | 67% | 92% | 88% | 100% | Shift-productivity increase | 625 | 724 | 724 | 100% | 1.54 | 51% | 83.8% |
| 8 | Linamar Light Metals Ruse Ltd. | 60% | 79% | 80% | 99% | Core-making department efficiency | 49.0% | 55.0% | 55.0% | 100% | 1.43 | 48% | 82.1% |
2026 Annual Ranking
| Place | Company | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Average (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ottobock Manufacturing Bulgaria Ltd. π₯ | 88.89% | 95.14% | β | β | 92.02% |
| 2 | Mebel Stil Ltd. π₯ | 88.77% | 89.00% | β | β | 88.88% |
| 3 | TVH Bulgaria Ltd. π₯ | 86.69% | 90.74% | β | β | 88.72% |
| 4 | LEM Bulgaria Ltd. | 83.80% | 90.28% | β | β | 87.04% |
| 5 | SΓΌdwolle Group Italy β Bulsafil | 85.88% | 82.99% | β | β | 84.44% |
| 6 | APS Trading Ltd. | 82.75% | 84.72% | β | β | 83.73% |
| 7 | Kostal Bulgaria Automotive Ltd. | 83.33% | 83.33% | β | β | 83.33% |
| 8 | Linamar Light Metals Ruse Ltd. | 81.21% | 84.26% | β | β | 82.73% |
| 9 | AQ Plastronik AD | 82.52% | 82.75% | β | β | 82.63% |
| 10 | Alcomet AD | 81.60% | 81.94% | β | β | 81.77% |
| 11 | Wegmann Automotive Bulgaria Ltd. | 81.37% | 79.86% | β | β | 80.62% |
| 12 | Jacobs Douwe Egberts BG Ltd. | 83.24% | 77.31% | β | β | 80.28% |
| 13 | NIKI Ltd. | 81.38% | 76.87% | β | β | 79.12% |
Lean Champions Q1 2026 Ranking
| No. | Lean Champions | 5S audit 1 | 5S audit 2 | 5S target | 5S result | Kaizen KPI | Before quarter | After quarter | Kaizen target | Kaizen result | Voting points | Voting result | Final result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ottobock Manufacturing Bulgaria Ltd. | 57% | 78% | 70% | 100% | Weekly productivity (units per person) | 10.5 | 12.5 | 11.5 | 100% | 192.00 | 66.67% | 88.89% π₯ |
| 2 | Mebel Stil Ltd. | 38% | 78% | 70% | 100% | Productivity β time per set (sec.) | 114 | 89 | 90 | 100% | 191.00 | 66.32% | 88.77% π₯ |
| 3 | TVH Bulgaria Ltd. | 72% | 93% | 85% | 100% | AC motor cost optimisation (%) | 47.0% | 19.1% | 25.0% | 100% | 173.00 | 60.07% | 86.69% π₯ |
| 4 | SΓΌdwolle Group Italy β Bulsafil | 52% | 80% | 75% | 100% | Changeover-time reduction (min.) | 60 | 23 | 30 | 100% | 166.00 | 57.64% | 85.88% |
| 5 | LEM Bulgaria Ltd. | 87% | 96% | 90% | 100% | Finished-goods warehouse efficiency (average seconds per export-list row) | 330 | 300 | 300 | 100% | 148.00 | 51.39% | 83.80% |
| 6 | Kostal Bulgaria Automotive Ltd. | 27% | 88% | 60% | 100% | Autonomous-maintenance plan completion (%) | 0% | 5% | 5% | 100% | 144.00 | 50.00% | 83.33% |
| 7 | Jacobs Douwe Egberts BG Ltd. | 51% | 80% | 85% | 94.12% | Overall efficiency % (roastery) | 66.0% | 67.8% | 68.0% | 99.7% | 161.00 | 55.90% | 83.24% |
| 8 | APS Trading Ltd. | 96% | --- | 95% | 100% | Supplier lead-time optimisation (days) | 65 | 14 | 20 | 100% | 139.00 | 48.26% | 82.75% |
| 9 | AQ Plastronik AD | 53% | 92% | 80% | 100% | Productivity increase (products per operator) | 120 | 150 | 138 (15%) | 100% | 137.00 | 47.57% | 82.52% |
| 10 | Alcomet AD | 19% | 52% | 50% | 100% | Changeover-time reduction (hours) | 06:15 | 02:15 | 03:00 | 100% | 129.00 | 44.79% | 81.60% |
| 11 | Wegmann Automotive Bulgaria Ltd. | 34% | 60% | 55% | 100% | Lead-casting capacity increase (castings) | 5952 | 7438 | 7400 | 100% | 127.00 | 44.10% | 81.37% |
| 12 | NIKI Ltd. | 0% | 38% | 40% | 93.75% | Annual improvement-plan completion | 0.0% | 40.7% | 41.7% | 97.60% | 152.00 | 52.78% | 81.38% |
| 13 | Linamar Light Metals Ruse Ltd. | 82% | --- | 80% | 100% | Quality improvement (%) | 27.0% | 25.9% | 22.0% | 84.94% | 169.00 | 58.68% | 81.21% |
Lean Champions Q2 2026 Ranking
| No. | Lean Champions | 5S audit 1 | 5S audit 2 | 5S target | 5S result | Kaizen KPI | Before quarter | After quarter | Kaizen target | Kaizen result | Voting points | Voting result | Final result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ottobock Manufacturing Bulgaria Ltd. | 39% | 73% | 65% | 100% | Weekly productivity (units) | 35.0 | 80.0 | 70.0 | 100% | 246 | 85.42% | 95.14% π₯ |
| 2 | TVH Bulgaria Ltd. | 91% | 92.5% | 92.5% | 100% | DC motor quality improvement % | 60.0% | 24.2% | 25.0% | 100% | 208 | 72.22% | 90.74% π₯ |
| 3 | LEM Bulgaria Ltd. | 93% | --- | 90% | 100% | DMS management-cost optimisation | 0 | 800 | 800 | 100% | 204 | 70.83% | 90.28% π₯ |
| 4 | Mebel Stil Ltd. β Plant 1 | 18% | 87% | 55% | 100% | Foam-volume optimisation | 1643 mΒ³ | 1360 mΒ³ | 1360 mΒ³ | 100% | 193 | 67.01% | 89.00% |
| 5 | APS Trading Ltd. | 18% | 83% | 75% | 100% | Order-picking time optimisation β Bravo store (min.) | 07:24 | 04:50 | 05:00 | 100% | 156 | 54.17% | 84.72% |
| 6 | Linamar Light Metals Ruse Ltd. | 53% | 82% | 80% | 100% | Quality improvement (%) | 24.7% | 20.0% | 20.0% | 100.00% | 152 | 52.78% | 84.26% |
| 7 | Kostal Bulgaria Automotive Ltd. | 25% | 60% | 50% | 100% | Autonomous-maintenance plan completion (%) | 5% | 20% | 20% | 100% | 144 | 50.00% | 83.33% |
| 8 | SΓΌdwolle Group Italy β Bulsafil | 52% | 75% | 75% | 100% | Changeover-time reduction (min.) | 42 | 23 | 30 | 100% | 141 | 48.96% | 82.99% |
| 9 | AQ Plastronik AD | 64% | 80% | 75% | 100% | Productivity increase % | 36% | 87% | 60% | 100% | 139 | 48.26% | 82.75% |
| 10 | Alcomet AD | 52% | 65% | 60% | 100% | Changeover-time reduction (hours) | 06:39 | 02:27 | 03:30 | 100% | 132 | 45.83% | 81.94% |
| 11 | Wegmann Automotive Bulgaria Ltd. | 77% | 86% | 80% | 100% | Autonomous-maintenance plan completion (%) | 0% | 18.2% | 11% | 100% | 114 | 39.58% | 79.86% |
| 12 | Jacobs Douwe Egberts BG Ltd. | 77% | 91% | 85% | 100% | Overall efficiency % (roastery) | 68.0% | 70.1% | 70.0% | 100% | 92 | 31.94% | 77.31% |
| 13 | NIKI Ltd. | 38% | 40% | 40% | 100% | Annual improvement-plan completion | 40.7% | 87.0% | 93.1% | 93.45% | 107 | 37.15% | 76.87% |
How to read the colour indicators
- Green: above 90%
- Amber: 80β90%
- Red: below 80%
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