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| Kai (change) zen (better) is a Japanese word meaning change for the better or gradual and orderly, continuous improvement. This the basic element for sustaining Lean. This seldom means large capital costs with new equipment. After the first set of kaizen blitzes are completed, continuing kaizen activity is where the real value of Lean is realized. Continued use of kaizen blitzes demonstrates that you are serious about eliminating waste and keeping a close eye on waste creeping back into your operation. |
| There are 2 types of Kaizens; a point Kaizen (reviewing a cell or a workstation) and a flow Kaizen (reviewing the whole company or an entire product line). Kaizen blitzes are usually performed by a team of people; the people that are the most interested in making the improvements, the staff of the company. Those chosen for the team should always include the person(s) that actually performs the tasks because they know the operation the best, would likely have the best suggestions for improvements plus they need to agree with the changes for the changes to take effect smoothly. Other members of the team are typically individuals for all the other departments in your organization. In a small company, this may be the manager, a worker, the supervisor, a salesperson and the shipper/receiver. In larger companies you may add engineering, maintenance, IT staff, finance, product manager, merchandising, etc. |
| Kaizen events should be performed at regular intervals. This will encourage a shorter completion date for changes to the currently reviewed topics and keep you on the continuous improvement track. |
Information on holding a Kaizen event in-house.
Lean Manufacturing
Value Stream Mapping