What does “KAIZEN” mean?

What does “KAIZEN” mean?

What does “KAIZEN” mean?

Kaizen(Continual Improvement) is a famous Japanese technique wherein the employees of the firm work together to achieve regular improvement in the manufacturing process of the firm.

Benefits of Kaizen:

KAIZEN™ helps in continual improvement by elimination of 8 type of wastages (muda) from the process.

What do you mean by “5S” ?

5S is a Japanese methodology that includes five steps as follows:

-Seiri (Sort) means Sorting and separating that which is not required or needed.

-Seiton (Straighten) means putting what is needed in proper order, so that they are for use when needed

-Seiso (Scrub) it mainly emphasizes on keeping the workplace and equipments clean and preventing defects

-Seiketsu (Standardize) means creating  standards for the process of seiri, seiton and seiso

-Shitsuke (Sustain) means self discipline and training the employees so that the standards can be regularly applied and the whole system can be sustained.

Benefits of 5S :

It aids in properly organizing the workplace, and reducing the problems caused due to an unorganized workplace.

What is “3M”?

3 M also known as 3 Mu’s, which are :

muda (Wastage): Different types of wastes in a production process or a firm, non value adding Activities

Mura (Variation): Variations in the products or services being offered to the customer

Muri (Strain): Strain on the employee due to unfavorable working conditions or methods.

At any workplace a KAIZEN™ practitioner always looks forward to eliminate these 3 Mu’s at the Gemba.

Benefits :

It helps in attaining higher level of productivity, increased efficiency of employees, reduce wastages and costs of manufacturing, thereby leading to increase in overall profitability of the firm.

What does “SMED” mean?

“SMED” is a set of techniques, that includes activities so as to reduce the overall setup time.

• Setup steps to be performed while the process is running

• Simplify internal setup (e.g. replace bolts with knobs and levers in Manufacturing)

• Eliminate non-essential operations

• Create standardized work instructions

Benefits of SMED :

SMED enables manufacturing in smaller lots, reduces inventory, and improves customer responsiveness.

What do you mean by “Andon” ?

Andon is a system that empowers operators to stop the production process where and when any glitches occur in the production systems.

It uses visual feedback system for the plant floor, that indicates production status alerts when assistance is needed.

Benefits of Andon:

Andon helps to bring immediate attention to problems as they occur so they can be instantly rectified /solved.

What does “Heijunka” mean?

“Heijunka”(Level Scheduling) is a method of production scheduling wherein manufacturing of products is done  in much smaller batches by sequencing (mixing) product variants within the same process.

Benefits of Heijunka:

Heijunka helps in reducing Lead Times, as each product or variant is manufactured more frequently and inventory, as batches are smaller.

What is “Jidoka”?

Jidoka (Autonomation) is a method in which, equipment are designed in such a manner that it can,  partially automate the manufacturing process as partial automation is typically much less expensive than full automation and to automatically stop when defects are detected.

Benefits of Jidoka:

Workers can monitor multiple work stations more frequently (reducing labor costs) and many quality issues can be detected immediately with the implementation of Jidoka.

What do you mean by “Bottleneck Analysis”?

Bottleneck Analysis means, identifying part of the manufacturing process that limits the overall throughput. This will result in improvement in the performance of that part of the process.

Benefits of Bottleneck Analysis:

With the help of Bottleneck analysis one can strengthen the weakest point in the manufacturing process.

What is “Hoshin Kanri” ?

“Hoshin Kanri”(Policy Deployment) method mainly focuses on alignment of goals of the company (Strategy), with the plans of middle management (Tactics) and the work performed on the plant floor (Action).

Benefits of Hoshin Kanri:

Hoshin Kanri eliminates the waste that arises due to poor communication and inconsistent direction.

What do you mean by “Continuous Flow”?

“Continuous Flow” is a manufacturing system where, work-in-process smoothly flows through production. It has minimal or no buffers between stages of the manufacturing process.

Benefits of Continuous Flow:

Continuous flow enables elimination of many different types of wastages such as waiting time and transport.

What is “KANBAN”?

On the basis of automatic replenishment (through signal cards that indicate when more goods are needed) the flow of goods with outside suppliers and within the factory and the customers, is regulated, this system is called “KANBAN”.

Benefits of KANBAN: 

KANBAN system enables firms to eliminate waste from excess inventory and overproduction.

What is “OEE”?

“OEE”(Overall Equipment Effectiveness) is a framework for measuring productivity loss for a given manufacturing process. These losses are tracked on the basis of  Three categories :

• Availability (e.g. down time)

• Performance (e.g. slow cycles)

• Quality (e.g. rejects)

Benefits of OEE:

“OEE” enables the firm to create standards for machinery and equipments, so as to cross check performance against them, thereby eliminating waste from the manufacturing process.

What is “Just-In-Time”(JIT)?

Just in time is a system which pulls parts through production based on customer demand instead of pushing parts through production based on projected demand.

This technique can be implemented with the help of different Lean tools, such as Continuous Flow, Heijunka, KANBAN, Standardized Work and Takt Time.

Benefits of JIT:

JIT is highly effective in reducing inventory levels. Improves cash flow and reduces space requirements.

What is “PDCA”?

It is a methodology used for implementing improvements:

• Plan: establishing plan and expected results

• Do: implementing the plan

• Check :verifying whether expected results achieved

• Act : review and assess correct and do it again

Benefits of PDCA:

PDCA helps in making improvements with a scientific systematic approach.

What is “SDCA”?

SDCA is a methodology to sustain the improvements by:

Standardize: Establish standards to be achieved

Do: Implement standards

Check: Verify the actual work with standards

Act:  Review and assess any variation in standard

Benefits of SDCA:

SDCA enables a firm in sustaining the improvements that have been implemented by standardizing.

What is “KPI”? 

“KPI” (Key Performance Indicator) is a metrics designed in such a manner that progress towards critical goals of the firm can be encouraged and tracked.

Strongly promoted KPIs can be extremely powerful drivers of behavior.

Benefits of KPI :

Direct peoples behavior
Focuses Attention
Provides objectivity
Clarifies expectation
Improves decision making
What does “Poke-Yoke” mean?

Poke Yoke is a method where manufacturing system is designed in a way that any error can be detected and prevented in the system ,enabling the firm to achieve the goal of zero defects.

Benefits of Poke-Yoke:

It helps in developing a error proof system with no rework to be done.

What is “Takt time”?

Takt time is the pace of production that aligns production with customer demand. Calculated as Planned Production Time / Customer Demand.

Benefits of Takt time:

Takt time provides a simple, consistent method of pacing production.It is easily extended to provide an efficiency goal for the plant floor.

The product moves along a line, so bottlenecks (stations that need more time than planned) are easily identified when the product does not move on in time.
Correspondingly, stations that don’t operate reliably are easily identified.
The takt leaves only a certain amount of time to perform the actual value added work. Therefore there is a strong motivation to get rid of all non value-adding tasks like machine set-up, gathering of tools, transporting products, etc.

What do you mean by “Total Flow Management”?

Total flow management (TFM) is a method of efficiently managing materials in a manufacturing /processing plant/unit.

Material flow management is the goal oriented, efficient use of materials, material streams and energy. The goals are given by ecological and economical areas and by observing social aspects.

Benefits of Total flow management:

It enables smooth flow of materials in both the internal and external systems ,so that the total throughput time can be reduced.

What is “SMART” goals?

“Smart” Goals are the goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable,Relevant, and Time-Specific.

Benefits of “Smart” Goals ?

“Smart” goals helps to ensure that goals are effective.

What is “QCD”?

The concept of QCD (Quality, Cost, Delivery) mainly emphasis on providing products and services to the customers at better quality, affordable prices and in time.

Benefits of QCD:

“QCD” enables to gain higher customer satisfaction and improved process.

What do you mean by “Standardized work”?

Standardized work means, documented procedures for manufacturing, that capture best practices (including the time to complete each task).

Benefits of Standardized work :

Eliminates waste by consistently applying best practices. Forms a bottomline for future improvement activities.

What is “TOC”?

The theory of constraints (TOC) is a management paradigm that views any manageable system as being limited in achieving more of its goals by a very small number of constraints. There is always at least one constraint, and TOC uses a focusing process to identify the constraint and restructure the rest of the organization around it.

TOC adopts the common idiom “a chain is no stronger than its weakest link”. This means that processes, organizations, etc., are vulnerable because the weakest person or part can always damage or break them or at least adversely affect the outcome.

Benefits of TOC:

TOC helps a firm to release it hidden potential and strengthen its position in the market.

What is “TPM”?

TPM (Total productive maintenance) is a holistic approach to maintenance that focuses on proactive and preventative maintenance to maximize the operational time of equipment. TPM blurs the distinction between maintenance and production by placing a strong emphasis on empowering operators to help maintain their equipment.

Benefits of TPM:

It creates a shared responsibility for equipment that encourages greater involvement by plant floor workers. In the right environment this can be very effective in improving productivity (increasing up time, reducing cycle times, and eliminating defects).

What is “TQM”?

Total quality management or TQM is an integrative philosophy of management for continuously improving the quality of products and processes.

TQM is based on the premise that the quality of products and processes is the responsibility of everyone involved with the creation or consumption of the products or services offered by an organization, requiring the involvement of management, workforce, suppliers, and customers, to meet or exceed customer expectations.

Benefits of TQM:

TQM helps in maintaining the quality standards and reduce variation in the output/ final product.

What is “TSM” ?

Total Service management is integrated into the intersection between the actual sales and the customer. The aim of high performance service management is to optimize the service-intensive supply chains, which are usually more complex than the typical finished-goods supply chain.

Benefits of TSM:

It enables firm to reduce the delivery time, provide better after sales services,and reduce response time to the end customer, and achieving a higher level of customer satisfaction towards the firm’s offerings.

What is “TEM”?

TEM means the process of identifying and managing the major environmental hazards or problems that any firm has to face. It focuses on enabling firms to not only reduce the environmental hazards, but also reduce its overall costs and wastage (Lean & Green).

Benefits of TEM:

TEM helps to establish a sustainable environment in the industry. It aids in developing a balance between industry and environment.

It helps in establishing processes that are eco-friendly and cost saving.

What does “Value stream mapping” mean ?

Value stream Mapping is a tool used to visually map the flow of production.It shows the current and future state of processes in a way that highlights opportunities for improvement.

Benefits of Value stream mapping:

Value stream Mapping exposes waste in the current processes and provides a roadmap for improvement through the future state.

  • Eliminate waste
  • Reduce/identify non-value added steps in a process
  • Optimize the process
  • Identify opportunities for improvement in lead-times
  • Create a future state process that eliminates identified waste
  • Implement the future state process

What does “Lean Manufacturing” mean ?

Lean manufacturing, lean enterprise, or lean production, often simply, “Lean,” is a production practice that considers the expenditure of resources for any goal other than the creation of value for the end customer to be wasteful, and thus a target for elimination. Working from the perspective of the customer who consumes a product or service, “value” is defined as any action or process that a customer would be willing to pay for.

Benefits of Lean Manufacturing:

It eliminate non value adding activities(8 deadly wastages) and reduce the total throughput time/ cycle time.Leanmanufacturing enables firm to increase profitability by reducing costs.

What do you mean by “Visual Factory”?

Visual factory means Visual indicators, displays and controls used throughout manufacturing plants to improve communication of information.

Benefits of Visual Factory :

It makes the state and condition of manufacturing processes easily accessible and very clear  to everyone.It reflects any abnormality in the system to everyone.

What is “GKW”?

GKW is a training /Workshops for the employees for implementation of KAIZEN™ techniques at the workplace.

Benefits of GKW:

GKW aids the firm to involve its employees in the process of improvement. It gives a fair idea of different process of the firm to all the employees.

What is “Six sigma”?

Six Sigma is a set of tools and strategies for process improvement originally developed by Motorola in 1986. Six Sigma became well known after Jack Welch made it a central focus of his business strategy at General Electric in 1995, and today it is used in different sectors of industry.

Six Sigma seeks to improve the quality of process outputs by identifying and removing the causes of defects (errors) and minimizing variability in manufacturing and business processes.

Benefits of Six sigma :

  • Bottom line cost savings (5%-20% of turnover per annum)
  • Improved quality of product or service as perceived by the customer (internal and external customers)
  • Reduction in process cycle times
  • Development of staff skills
  • Common language throughout the organisation
  • World class standard
  • It measures performances with the help of different statistical tools

What does “DWM” mean?

DWM (Daily work management) is a process of managing the day to day (short term) activities in order to sustain the standards established.

Benefits of DWM:

DWM helps in implementation of PDCA/SDCA technique. It helps in building and changing culture. It creates a transparent work environment.

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