Kaizen Case: 3-Years period on Developing Kaizen Personnel who can Promote Voluntary Improvement

Practical Kaizen Implemented in the Genba instead of Class Lectures
Kaizen Activities Rolled out Smoothly from Production Site to Administrative Area

Results

24% Reduction in End-of Month Inventory
44% Reduction in Warehouse Logistics
Lead Time Shortening by 5 Days

＜Quality Technology Department/ Quality Control Section>
45% Reduction of Defects Rate in Total of All 10 Supplier Company

Kaizen Case with Company-wide improvement activities under the theme of visualization of 2S and operations led by the CEO.

Full support from the start of improvement activities.

The plan based on the Toyota Production System (TPS / JIT), with the aim of “cultivating human resources” who can continuously promote improvement with the practice of on-site improvement rather than classroom lectures, matched withthe company S policy.

Company Detail
OA Equipment Manufacturer
Country
Japan
Employees
About 380
Issue
Profit Improvement
Purpose
Human resource development
Industry
Electrical and electronic
How it was deployed
For the first two years, we implemented KAIZEN (improvement) activities focused on production-site and from the third year we expanded the activities to company-wide by involving administrative departments.
At last, we targeted to develop human resources who can proceed improvements by themselves.
Problems/opportunity

  1. Operations of members are invisible for managers.
  2. Progress of operations cannot be controlled.
  3. Lack of nurturing of Multi-Skilled Workers.

Details of KAIZEN Activities of First Year Involving Administrative Areas
NoDepartmentMain Improved ItemsContents of Improvement
1 Production Control Department
  1. Improvement of receiving cargo works
  2. Removal of the multi-level storage warehouse
  3. Dividing overseas procurement into four
  • Prohibition of using folk lifts by installing pallets with casters dedicated to receiving cargo
  • Relocated the parts warehouse of the multipurpose building to the site where the multi-level storage warehouse was removed, which reduced the flow line to one quarter
  • Reduced inventory by dividing the number of deliveries of procured items from China from once a month to four times a month
    		•
    2 Manufacturing Department
    1. Waste removal strategy
    2. Parts serving improvement
    3. Categorization of work
    4. Adapting Marshalling method
  • Implement the principle of motion economy and minimize the motion of arms, shoulders, waist, and legs
  • Adoption of aligned serving method for harnesses, wire clampers etc.,
  • Reduced number of walks by separating assembly works to parts and the main body area, which reduced the number of repetitive transportations between parts and main body
  • Applied Marshalling method for parts supply in the assembly/final inspection process to reduce the number of walk steps
    		•
    3 Quality Department
    1. Visualization of operation
    2. Promotion of non-inspection
    3. Strengthening quality of outsourcing
    4. Cost reduction activities for defects
  • Using sticky notes enabled to visualize operations, mutual supports of operators, and delivery dates
  • If there are no defects in 3 lots of domestically procured products, they should be accepted automatically to abolish the inspection
  • By instructing quality guidance directly to the 10 worst suppliers, halving the occurrence of defects
  • Review operations to halve operations such as repairing defective products and re-inspection
    		•
    4 Production Engineering Department
    1. Full support for improvement activities
    2. Improvement in improvement speed
  • Participation of production technology members to the KAIZEN team and establishment of a support system for improvement activities
  • Visualize requests from the manufacturing site for improvement and manage delivery thoroughly
    		•
    5 Materials Department
    1. Enhancement of 2S for filing
    2. Visualization of operation
    3. Developing multi-skilled workers
    4. Cost table maintenance
    5. EOP (End of Production) Parts Management
  • Adopt diagonal lines for all material files, review shelf display and thorough 2S
  • Visualize operations by sticky notes so that operators can help each other
  • Review materials and implement training to develop multi-skilled workers for parts procurement and cost determination
  • Create and maintain the cost table to reduce the cost of newly developed products
  • Switch the monthly parts shipment to factories in other prefectures to the escrow method
    		•
    Key Achievements toward Targets
    TargetAchievement

    15% Reduction in end of month inventory
    40% Reduction in logistics in warehouse
    Lead Time Shortening by 5 days (1 week)


    Halve the occurrence of defects in parts suppliers
    ⇒Reduced 24%
    ⇒Reduced 44%
    ⇒Shortened 5 days


    ⇒Reduction of defects in all 10 companies (45% reduction in total)）
    Efforts to develop Human Resources who can perform Improvements by themselves
    TargetAchievement
    (1) Holding Seminars 30-minute mini-seminar is held at each guidance session. Educate KAIZEN-personnel and managers involved in improvement activities about how to think, how to find wastes, and how to carry out.
    (2) Formation of a Voluntary KAIZEN-team Organize a voluntary KAIZEN-team consisting of production site and production engineering members and instruct the team to carry out voluntary improvement activities for the target line at least once a week.
    (3) Strengthening Management by Objectives Although the number of improvements was increased, it is necessary to give top priority to items that should have large effects.
    Summary

    Through company-wide efforts for KAIZEN led by the representative of the Company S, we could develop KAIZEN activities not only at production site but also at the indirect department, and that led to the achievement of the target.

    What pointed out by the consultant was improved promptly, and they were rolled out well, so that I was able to focus on training KAIZEN personnel.Regarding the development of KAIZEN personnel, it is necessary to focus on fostering a KAIZEN mind, recognizing the need for improvement, and developing eyes to see waste for improvement. Also, through holding seminars, forming a voluntary KAIZEN-team, and strengthening management by objectives, it is necessary to think about what should be done to clear the goal, what should be prioritized, and acquire an attitude toward working on improvement.It was the project that was able to promote company-wide improvement smoothly by promoting education at the same time with promoting KAIZEN activities.

    5S training: 5S concepts and production efficiency
    Genba Kaizen Specialist
    ITO, Akihiro

    Process improvement consultant

    He worked for JIT Institute, Tokyo for 20 years.( JIT: Just In Time). During this period, he has learned Just In Time philosophy and method of improvement of productivity in manufacturing plant. Continuously he has been engaged in effective introduction process of Production Management System to small and medium enterprise and even big enterprise.

    Consultants from major companies
    with experience in over 40 countries will respond.
    Please feel free to contact us.

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    3 reasons why we are chosen REASON

    REASON 1

    Improvement experience of
    more than 1,500 companies in 40 countries

    There must be the shop floor issues that cannot be solved by your own company alone. Improvements and reforms for manufacturing industry to survive, regardless of country or industry, need development of your human resources through practical experiences of improvement, and strengthening of your production system base.

    REASON 2

    Consulting that shop floor workers
    acknowledge our superiority and be pleased

    In conventional consulting styles, there was a distance between consultant and the shop floor because it was promoted mainly consultant and management executives. Our consultant can provide a guidance without a distance between consultant and the shop floor through the guidance based on the “seeds of improvement” in a concrete way, instead of “finding fault” like a critic.

    REASON 3

    Continuous improvement will continue
    even after the end of guidance

    While strengthening “human resource development”, we focus on the “overall flow” from design to purchasing, manufacturing, logistics, and production control, and provide guidance that matches the actual situation of your company. Continuous improvement will continue even after the end of guidance through the guidance that is acceptable to the shop floor workers.

    Consultants from major companies
    with experience in over 40 countries will respond.
    Please feel free to contact us.

    Online/remote Assessment
    Download documents
    Contact us

    If you are in a hurry, please call us.

    +81-3-5783-3571
    （Japan time）
    Open 08:30 – 17:30
    Except for Saturday, Sunday, holidays, Year-End and New-Year holidays