FREE TOOLS · NO SIGNUP
FREE LEAN MANUFACTURING TOOLS
Ten free tools, no signup required. Built by plant operators for plant managers running real lines. Five for measuring what matters. Five for solving problems when the measurement shows you where to look.
FIRST TIME? START HERE
THE OEE CALCULATOR · 30 SECONDS TO YOUR FIRST NUMBER.
Overall equipment effectiveness is the most-asked-for metric in manufacturing because it captures availability, performance, and quality in one number. Plug in your shift data and we tell you which of the three components to attack first.
CALCULATE
MEASURE WHAT MATTERS
Five calculators that score the things plant managers actually need to make a decision: equipment effectiveness, downtime cost, scrap cost, takt versus cycle, and workplace organization.
TOOL 01 · 30 SEC
FREE · NO SIGNUP
OEE CALCULATOR
Get your overall equipment effectiveness score in 30 seconds. Availability, performance, and quality breakdowns plus the diagnostic that tells you which one to fix first.
Score + 3-component breakdown + next-move diagnostic
OPEN TOOL →TOOL 02 · 1 MIN
FREE · NO SIGNUP
DOWNTIME COST CALCULATOR
See what unplanned stops are really costing your plant per year. Includes the hidden costs most plants miss (idle labor, restart scrap, overhead allocation).
Annual total + 5 cost buckets + hidden-cost percentage
OPEN TOOL →TOOL 03 · 1 MIN
FREE · NO SIGNUP
SCRAP COST CALCULATOR
Pull scrap out of COGS and onto its own line. See annual cost plus savings opportunity if you reached world-class scrap rate.
Annual cost + savings vs world class + benchmark bar
OPEN TOOL →TOOL 04 · 30 SEC
FREE · NO SIGNUP
TAKT TIME CALCULATOR
Calculate required takt time and compare to your actual cycle time. See if your line is keeping pace with demand.
Required takt + cycle gap + daily output shortfall
OPEN TOOL →TOOL 05 · 5 MIN
FREE · NO SIGNUP
5S AUDIT SCORE
Score your plant against 25 questions across all five Ss. Get a radar chart, identify your weakest pillar, and a one-week action plan.
Overall maturity score + radar chart + weakest-S action plan
OPEN TOOL →WHAT THE FREE DIAGNOSTIC LOOKS LIKE
A 10-MINUTE CONVERSATION THAT SIZES THE OPPORTUNITY
The free tools above answer one question. The diagnostic answers the bigger one: how much EBITDA is on the table for a plant your size with your specific pain, and which 12 months of work get you there. Real conversation, no slide deck.
SHARPEN DIAGNOSTIC · LIVE
DIAGNOSTIC
YOU
DIAGNOSTIC
YOU
DIAGNOSTIC
YOU
EBITDA OPPORTUNITY SIZED
For a $22M plant carrying ~4% scrap and Stage 1 problem-solving, the typical Stage 1 to Stage 3 improvement recovers $180K to $310K annually. Not a guess. Based on hundreds of plants.
DIAGNOSTIC
MAPS YOUR PAIN TO THE FRAMEWORK
Your words get connected to the 10-pillar diagnostic framework so the action plan is specific to your weak areas, not generic.
SIZES THE FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITY
Conservative EBITDA range based on Stage 1 to Stage 3 improvement benchmarks across hundreds of plants. Same math we use with PE portfolio companies.
PRODUCES A 12-MONTH ROADMAP
Specific guides and templates per pillar, ordered by ceiling rule (Stage 1 in P1, P2, P5, or P6 caps your overall rating). You leave with a real plan.
NO SIGNUP REQUIRED
The full diagnostic runs without a credit card or account. Save your roadmap with email if you want it.
Average completion: 9 minutes. No email required to see the roadmap.
SOLVE PROBLEMS
FIND ROOT CAUSE AND FIX IT
Five problem-solving tools that turn a measured gap into a corrective action. Walk a 5 Why, organize candidates with a fishbone, sort the vital few with a Pareto, document the fix on an A3, or run a full RCA with verification.
TOOL 06 · 5 MIN
FREE · NO SIGNUP
5 WHY ANALYSIS
Walkthrough that asks one why at a time, requires evidence at each step, and flags blame language. Produces a printable summary with a system corrective action.
Guided walkthrough + go-and-see check + printable summary
OPEN TOOL →TOOL 07 · 5 MIN
FREE · NO SIGNUP
FISHBONE DIAGRAM
Cause-and-effect builder organized around the 6Ms: Methods, Machines, Materials, Measurements, Manpower, Environment. See the diagram render live as you add candidate causes.
Live SVG diagram + 6M categories + breadth check
OPEN TOOL →TOOL 08 · 3 MIN
FREE · NO SIGNUP
PARETO CHART
Sort the vital few from the trivial many. Enter reason codes and values, the chart sorts by impact, draws the cumulative line, and marks the 80 percent threshold.
Live chart + cumulative line + vital-few callout
OPEN TOOL →TOOL 09 · 15 MIN
FREE · NO SIGNUP
A3 WORKSHEET
Toyota-style problem-solving on one page. Seven sections in two columns: background, current condition, goal, root cause, countermeasures, plan, follow-up. Print on A3.
7-section format + two-column print layout + A3 paper sizing
OPEN TOOL →TOOL 10 · 20 MIN
FREE · NO SIGNUP
TOYOTA PRACTICAL PROBLEM SOLVING
The Toyota Way 8-step PPS: clarify, break down, set target, analyze root cause, develop countermeasures, see them through, evaluate, then standardize and yokoten (horizontal deployment). Flags training-only countermeasures.
8-step Toyota PPS + yokoten + 30/60/90 evaluate
OPEN TOOL →WANT THE LIVE VERSIONS?
Every calculator here has a live tracker on the paid platform. Daily entry, trends, multi-user, integrated with the rest of operations. $299/mo, single plant.
FAQ
QUESTIONS PLANT MANAGERS ASK
ARE THESE REALLY FREE?
Yes. No signup, no email required to use any of the ten tools. Each one runs entirely in your browser. The optional email capture at the bottom of each tool sends you a roadmap; that is the soft upsell, but it is genuinely optional.
WHO BUILT THEM?
Plant operators with combined 30+ years running manufacturing lines, including roles at Whirlpool, Parker Hannifin, and across a private equity manufacturing portfolio. The tools reflect what we actually use on the floor, not what consultants sell.
CAN I SHARE THEM WITH MY TEAM?
Yes. Bookmark or share any tool URL with your team. Most tools also save your progress in the browser session so you can come back to a partially filled walkthrough.
WHICH TOOL SHOULD I START WITH?
For a calculator, OEE on your bottleneck line. For problem-solving, the 5 Why on your most repeating defect or downtime cause. The combination gives you a measurable baseline plus a method to improve it.
WHAT IF I WANT HELP BEYOND THE TOOLS?
Take the free Sharpen diagnostic. Ten minutes, no signup. Scores your plant across all 10 operational pillars and produces a prioritized improvement roadmap built around your specific situation.
USED A TOOL? NOW SIZE THE WHOLE PLANT.