Lean manufacturing principles have been widely adopted in the manufacturing industry. Most reputable companies like the Toyota attribute their success to the adoption and implementation of these principles. According to this Kaizen Article, one such continuous management policy is the “Gemba Kaizen”. Ideally, these Japanese terms describe a continuous improvement process marked by reducing inefficiencies and adoption of better production methods.
Kaizen’s Objectives
The primary goal of this philosophy is to create some energy and vitality in any workplace. First, it strives to make the employees appreciated, inspire them to do better and reduce their inefficiencies. As such, Kaizen emphasizes the need to incorporate creativity and initiating minor changes continuously in the way things are done. These small changes are cumulatively added together to form significant operational benefits.
With Kaizen, all operations should be simplified. Consequently, the speed and efficiency of the workforce increase. Operations are optimized with the aim of reducing operational inefficiencies and enhancing workplace safety. This way, the volume and quality of products are costly improved.
Application
The main idea behind the implementation of Kaizen is to identify and reduce inefficiencies. Therefore, you need to engage the employees directly, ask them to highlight some inefficiencies in the workplace. From there, you can let them propose a possible solution. From here, the Kaizen committee then weighs these options and proposes the best way forward. Ideally, it is about having minor solutions to common problems.
Kaizen Committee
This committee is constituted by individuals that are passionate about change. This could be departmental heads or team leaders. The committee should have a platform for receiving the employee’s ideas. This could be a Kaizen Board or an online platform. With the idea, the committee should have routine meetings to review these ideas and ensure that the best ideas are implemented.
The Kaizen Report
As much as you do not expect the result to be instantaneous or massive, the committee is supposed to provide a report on the progress realized. This report should address what the condition before the program was implemented, the action that was taken and the results of the action.
There is a likelihood that some companies can disregard the need to adopt Kaizen. As much as they might be convinced that they have achieved their lean objectives, this process iterative and does not have a definite end. As such, the organization should consistently strive to improve their operations even when they feel all objectives are accomplished.