Hi readers. This article will help to understand about kaizen. Kaizen is a Japanese word and meaning of Kaizen is change for better. Kai = Change, Zen = Better. Now these days one quote is very famous and that is “CHANGE IS CONSTANT”. In line with above quote a lot of changes have been seen over a period of time in every sector across the globe, whether it is Mobile phone sector, Banking sector, Manufacturing sector, Service sector, Medical sector, FMGC sector, defence sector etc., all these changes that had happened is considered to be Kaizen.
Kaizen means improvement. Continuous Improvements without spending much money, involving all employees, and using much common skills. Kaizen is never-ending improvement.
Why Kaizen is required?
- Become more competitive in market
- Customer satisfaction
- Increase Productivity
- Increase Quality
- Employee moral satisfaction
- Cost reduction
A few years back many organisations were in the market, whose products were very famous in the market and those products were considered to be market leader at that time, but as time passed by these organisations did not change/improve their product features with customer demand and today those organisations almost vanished from the market. No customer No business, no business can survive without customer.
Where Kaizen can be done?
Manufacturing organisations generally perform three types of work across the globe.
i) Value added
ii) Non value added but essential
iii) Non value added
If we talk about percentage wise, it is provided in the following pie chart
More than 85% (Approx.) Non-value added work is performed for which customer is not willing to pay. With help of Kaizen non value added activity can be identified and can be eliminated from the process. In other word we can say eliminate waste from the process. Kaizen can be done in PQCDSME area.
P- Productivity, Q= Quality, C= Cost, D= Delivery, S= Safety, M= Morale, E = Environment.
Kaizen umbrella is explained below.
How to do Kaizen?
1. Identify Non value added activity.
2. Understand the current situation of that NVA.
3. Do the Why -Why analysis.
4. Develop the solution/ countermeasure.
5. Measure the result.
6. Standardization (Changes that happened)
7. Do the sustenance audit.
8. Do the Horizontal deployment (It means same kaizen can done in other area if process/ machine is same)
We can use problem solving tools as per nature of the problem.
Problem solving tool is listed below.
a) Stratification
b) Check sheet
c) Control chart
d) Pareto Chart
e) Cause & effect diagram
f) Histogram
g) Scatter Diagram
What is benefits of Kaizen?
- Empowers employees, enriches the work experience and brings out the best in every person
- Promotes personal growth of employees and the company
- Improves quality, safety, cost structures, delivery, environments, throughput and customer service/satisfaction
Roll of top management
Top management involvement is required to motivate the people for participation in Kaizen event. Recognition can be done by top management for those who have implemented very good kaizen in their field/process for moral boosting of the employee.