IEM TSU Team Wins Prize at First Regional "Lean Student" Championship
Students of the Institute of Economics and Management at Tomsk State University have entered the top three leaders of the first Regional Labor Productivity Championship "Lean Student." The team took 3rd place, demonstrating a high level of proficiency in lean manufacturing tools.
The championship took place in Tomsk fr om April 13 to 17, 2026, as part of the V Siberian Forum "Productivity and Sustainable Development." The organizers were the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Tomsk Oblast and the Regional Competence Center.
The competition was serious: at the start, more than 60 participants were competing to reach the finals. The IEM TSU team of 10 people (Maria Panasyuk, Anna Dancheva, Kristina Voroshen, Ekaterina Vasilyeva, Sofia Cheban, Ksenia Zemlyanova, Yulia Zolotenkova, Daria Butko, Anna Klimenko, and Ksenia Kosenko) successfully overcame all the challenges.
In the first stage, the students were tasked with filming a video about themselves. In the second stage, the teams competed in optimizing the production of plug connectors: it was necessary to fulfill an order for 35 connectors within a set time and improve key indicators—reduce process time and cost, increase revenue and labor productivity, and achieve zero defects.
The goal of the championship is to develop in future specialists a culture of continuous improvement and practical skills in applying Lean technologies. The success of IEM students confirms their readiness to work in modern companies, where efficiency and a careful attitude toward resources are key priorities.
The championship took place in Tomsk fr om April 13 to 17, 2026, as part of the V Siberian Forum "Productivity and Sustainable Development." The organizers were the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Tomsk Oblast and the Regional Competence Center.
The competition was serious: at the start, more than 60 participants were competing to reach the finals. The IEM TSU team of 10 people (Maria Panasyuk, Anna Dancheva, Kristina Voroshen, Ekaterina Vasilyeva, Sofia Cheban, Ksenia Zemlyanova, Yulia Zolotenkova, Daria Butko, Anna Klimenko, and Ksenia Kosenko) successfully overcame all the challenges.
In the first stage, the students were tasked with filming a video about themselves. In the second stage, the teams competed in optimizing the production of plug connectors: it was necessary to fulfill an order for 35 connectors within a set time and improve key indicators—reduce process time and cost, increase revenue and labor productivity, and achieve zero defects.
"Participating in the lean manufacturing olympiad turned out to be especially interesting due to solving a case study in a real-process simulation format, wh ere it was possible to identify bottlenecks in practice and apply theoretical knowledge in a game format. And at a certain point in the competition, it became clear that in addition to theory, it is equally important to be able to handle a screwdriver quickly," says Ksenia Zemlyanova.
The goal of the championship is to develop in future specialists a culture of continuous improvement and practical skills in applying Lean technologies. The success of IEM students confirms their readiness to work in modern companies, where efficiency and a careful attitude toward resources are key priorities.