Leadership and Lean in mission-criticacl operations (2018-ongoing).

The described assigments were carried out by Peter Björnholm in a previous consulting context. These experiences and ways of working now form a central part of Axonis' offering. 

Keolis Sweden operates mission-critical public transport with high demands on safety, accessibility, quality and cost efficiency. Against this backdrop, a long-term assignment has been ongoing since 2018, focusing on strengthening leadership, ways of working, and improvement capabilities within the maintenance organization.
Over time, the assignment has evolved in line with the organization's needs and circumstances.

 

Focus of the assignment

Peter Björnholm acts as a Senior Lean Management Advisor, contributing as a consultant, leadership coach, and trainer. In practice, the work has had a clear focus on:

• Leadership and personal behaviour
• Change capability and learning
• Practical application of Lean Philosophy
• Competence development within maintenance

The overarching goal is to create sustainable structure and a shared language for improvement - from strategic direction to dialy action.

 

KIHM Academy - Structure for Learning and Implementation

A central part of the assignment has been the co-creation and further development of the KIHM Academy (Keolis Industrialized Harmonized Maintenance) for the Swedish organization.

The academy is structured as a standardized training program based on:

• Lean leadership philosophy
• Integration between strategy, ways of working and behaviors
• KOLB's learning theory (experiental learning)

In addition, the content includes:

• 5S and visual management
• Standardized work practices
• Systematic problem-solving
• Goal-driven improvement initiatives
• Change management and Lean leadership
• Role-playing with realistic scenarios

In his role as head trainer, Peter is responsible for the structure, exercise design, delivery, and coaching throughout the academy. To date, over 38 academy sessions have been conducted within Keolis.

As a result, the work has contributed to:

• More harmonized working methods within maintenance
• Strengthened safety, quality, and delivery capabilities
• Clearer links between behaviors, processes and results
• Increased accountability among both leaders and employees

 

Individual Leadership and Team Coaching

Complementing the academy work, individual leadership and team coaching is provided before and after training sessions. The purpose is to deepen learning and ensure practical application in daily work.
In this role, as a consultant and ICF-certified coach (ACC), Peter acts as a catalyst for reflection, decision-making, and changed leadership behaviors.

Gradually, this work has strengthened:

• Leaders' ability to act in a structured and consistent way
• Trust in processes and shared way of working
• The courage to encourage controlled experiments within defined frameworks

 

Relevance for Axonis' Clients

Overall, the experiences from the ongoing assignment with Keolis clearly shape Axonis' approach to leadership, Lean and change. Especially in organizations where safety, delivery and culture must function every day - even under pressure.