lean manufacturing: what is kaizen?
TRANSCRIPT
L E A N M A N U F A C T U R I N G
W h a t i s K a i z e n ?
改 善
M O N A R C H M E T A L . C O M
In Japanese, kaizen means 'change for good.'
In Japanese, kaizen means 'change for good.'
改 善Zen
Change
Kai
Good
In lean manufacturing, kaizen representsContinuous Improvement.
As a process, kaizen functions on thephilosophy that there is always room for
improvement.
Typically, kaizen calls for a ‘one team, one dream’kind of attitude.
The goal is to have all employees actively engaged inachieving incremental improvements over time.
Many companies hold kaizen events to identify areas wherebusiness and production can improve.
Kaizen events last 3 to 5 days and aretypically characterized by:
Kaizen events last 3 to 5 days and aretypically characterized by:
Sharp focus on specific processes
Focus on improving supplier-customer relationship & productionflow
Short bursts of intense activity thatadd value & eliminate waste
While these events take employees away from theirwork duties, they often foster a culture of
improvement and collaboration that’s good forbusiness.
To host these events,kaizen team members areappointed from within the
company with a kaizen expertleading the way.
The team works diligently to:
Identify opportunity &eliminate waste
Determine how to fix issues
Implement solutions
Standard kaizen teams are cross-departmentaland often chosen by the rule of thirds.
Standard kaizen teams are cross-departmentaland often chosen by the rule of thirds.
From within the area orprocess targeted for kaizen
1/3rd
Standard kaizen teams are cross-departmentaland often chosen by the rule of thirds.
From within the area orprocess targeted for kaizen
1/3rd
Fromupstream anddownstream
processes
1/3rd
Standard kaizen teams are cross-departmentaland often chosen by the rule of thirds.
From within the area orprocess targeted for kaizen
1/3rd
Fromupstream anddownstream
processes
1/3rdFrom areas
outside of thetargetedprocess
1/3rd
Having ‘outsiders’ on the team forces topicexperts to simplify explanations and thought
processes so a lay person can easilyunderstand.
This helps the team brainstorm new ideas aswell as identify how to simplify something that
might be over-complicating production.
Think!
There are many benefits of adopting kaizen principles.Here are just a few you can look forward to:
Production efficiency
Less waste, more output
Better customer service
Employee participation & satisfaction
Improved workplace safety
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