16 Flashcards
(23 cards)
Kaizen
improvements -> small and incremental improvement projects
“change for the better”
“continuous improvement”
Whatever you are in
charge of, you are not just responsible for running it, but for making it better. Hence, employees have
two jobs:
* Do the work
* Improve the way it’s done
By definition, if it doesn’t stick, it’s not a good result. If improve-
ments erode systematically, then the whole kaizen activity is a failure. The only way to be sure about the latter is to measure before and
after performance along the relevant performance dimensions, commonly: safety, quality, delivery, cost,
environment, and people (SQCDEP).
Kaikaku
larger and more radical improvement
Improvements: there are at least four things to consider:
1 Competition is constantly raising the bar. If your competitors keep improving and you don’t,
you lose.
2 The market is constantly developing. Customers may ask for price reduction, shorter delivery
times, or custom products.
3 Technology is constantly evolving. New technologies offer new opportunities to improve, incre-
mentally or radically. Practitioners of continuous improvement are better informed, savvier buyers
of new technology.
4 Improvement means learning. As you make improvements, you enhance not only performance
but also your own skills, so that some of the potential that was out of reach before no longer is.
The fruits may be hanging higher, but you are a better climber.
5 The environment is changing. Pandemics, wars, climate change, geopolitical changes, financial
crises, and other unforeseen events challenge your ability to adapt.
organizational ambidexterity
The best manufacturers are able to both continuously improve their existing processes and create new
processes and products. This rare ability is called organizational ambidexterity, and it means that they find
a balance between exploitation of current ways of working and exploration of new ways.
Kaizen events versus kaizen
Terms like “kaizen event” or “kaizen blitz” mislead
because they use the term kaizen but what these activities do is not kaizen.
A kaizen blitz is a rapid improvement workshop designed to solve discrete
process problems within a few days.
There are two problems with it:
1 The kaizen event’s promise of instant gratification has made it so popular that all other means
of changing work are forgotten. It is a problem because it leads organizations to ignore
opportunities that are either too small or too large.
2 The kaizen event takes attention away from real kaizen. There is abundant Japanese literature that makes no reference to anything resembling kaizen events. In fact, the improvements that are
called kaizen are too small for kaizen events.
Kaizen Shop
a place where operators can try their own ideas with-
out putting production at risk. This is sometimes also called a sandbox.
A kaizen shop is a physical place where improvement ideas can be realized quickly and by
the person who had the idea. Many companies deprive operators from the opportunity to
realize their own ideas because they think their labor time is better spent on the assembly
line. They try to source ideas from operators based on their first-hand experience of prob-
lems, then have Engineering build a customized solution that is provided back to the opera-
tor. This procedure is a waste of motivation and learning on the side of the operator. A
better way is to help the operator realizes his or her own idea.
Where there is no standard, there can be no kaizen!!
Work standards are often depicted as an improvement backstop, a formalization of the improved pro-
cess for the purpose of preventing backsliding. The
PDCA or PDSA cycle. As the cycle moves 1 full circle up,
the team updates the job instructions and make it serve as a stopper to prevent backsliding.
Training Within Industry (TWI)
TWI has 3 parts:
1 Job instruction (JI). JI is the on-the-job training of employees to execute the process.
The trainer can be a first-line manager, a team leader, or a co-worker. The trainee is
certified for each task when able to execute the sequence of steps while narrating the
execution and the key points of each step.
2 Job methods (JM). JM is training for first-line managers, team leaders, and operators
on process improvement.
3 Job relations (JR). JR trains first-line managers and team leaders to build trust, collaboration and engagement within their teams.
Improvement tools, methods, and methodologies
Improvement tools are physical or conceptual aids, methods are learned ways to use them, and methodologies are structured, step-by-step processes; while tools and methods are essential for flexible problem-solving, rigid methodologies work best in predictable situations—not in the often unpredictable context of factory improvement.
Ishikawas’ 7 tools of quality control
Kaoru Ishikawa knew that statistics was key to improve manufacturing quality, but he also realized that most people struggled with it. One of his objectives was therefore to make statistical analysis less complicated for the average person. As a result, Ishikawa suggested the 7 basic tools of quality control, which, according to him, could solve “95% of quality related problems in the factory“ – a number that was probably not based on data.
The original 7 tools of quality control were as follows:
1 Cause-and effect diagram: A diagram that looks like a fishbone where the problem
being investigated is shown at the head and any potential underlying causes are
investigated as the bones and sub-bones, usually separated into the four M
categories human, method, materials, and machine (also known as Ishikawa diagram).
2 Check sheet: A data recording form where the operator makes a check for each type
of error or event recorded.
3 Control chart: Shows the evolution over time of one quality characteristic measured
after the operation is complete and issues alarms when it shows evidence of a change
with an assignable cause.
4 Histogram: Shows the distribution of a sample of a numeric variable among bins.
5 Pareto chart: To tell the vital few from the trivial many among categories, for the pur-
student copy
pose of identifying the most promising projects (also known as the 20-80 rule).
6 Stratification: Slicing and dicing the data based on a variety of criteria.
7 Scatterplots: Visualize relationships between two parameters in a chart.
The 7 tools of quality control are still widely taught but they are outdated in terms of effec-
tiveness. The three first ones are the least trivial and least known.
Wisdom
Wisdom can be viewed as the ultimate step in the mastery of a process. In
succession, you have the following:
* Skill. You can execute a task.
* Know-how. You can combine and sequence tasks to get a job done.
* Know-why. You understand the logic behind the tools and methods.
* Wisdom. You can adapt the tools as needed in new circumstances.
Karakuri kaizen
Karakuri kaizen refers to the use of materials handling devices that rely on gravity, levers, cams, and inertia to move bins in elaborate ways, transfer parts between machines, or
deliver a controlled number of small parts to an operator’s hand.
The principles of karakuri kaizen are as follows:
1 Don’t use the human hand to move objects
2 Don’t spend money
3 Use the power of your equipment or nature
4 Build it with the wisdom and creativity of the people of the shop floor
5 For safety, build a device that stops automatically
Improvement projects
Projects may involve one individual, a local team, a task force drawn from multiple groups, or the entire organization. They may take one afternoon or 3 years, and managers must organize and oversee them accordingly. Factories should not
make the mistake of limiting themselves to only one or a few ways of improving.
Over the years, templates have emerged for a variety of projects from small to large:
- The “just-do-it.” It is informally managed between an operator and a team leader.
- Suggestion systems. Suggestion systems involve proposals submitted on forms by individuals, via boards, mail boxes, or electronic systems that are formally reviewed by management. They are often tied to reward and recognition schemes.
- Quality Circles. These are small groups of volunteers meeting weekly to work on a project taking 3 to 4 months.
- Kaizen events. Also known as “kaizen blitz,” they are centered on a week of intense, full-time
activity by a team. Each event requires about 6 weeks of preparation and another 6 weeks of follow-up after the week, adding up to about 3 months. - Task forces. Larger projects, like new line or new plant designs, require a task force – that is, a team drawn from multiple departments for the duration of the projects. A task force may start small and grow in size as the project advances.
- Long-term projects. Projects involving sustained activity over months or years, like standardizing dimensions on 300 dies. These projects require fewer participants for longer periods, patiently whittling down the problem.
- Plant-wide and company-wide activities. These pose the special challenge of requiring participation by all members of the organization, including temporary workers. “Total” in translations of Japanese acronyms means “with participation by everyone.”
- Multi-company projects. Joint projects with suppliers or customers require trust between different companies.
Suggestion systems are popular but rarely effective
Shop floor employees make suggestions about whatever they have ideas about, which can be a machine
malfunction, ergonomics, the location of materials, safety, visibility, hygiene, break areas, work cloth-
ing, or others. All such thoughts are worth surfacing and considering but not all of them will lead to
improvement of factory performance.
While it is part of continuous improvement, it is not an
approach to systematic problem-solving.
Usually, suggestion systems break down for any of the following reasons:
* It is easy to start but hard to sustain.
* Too many suggestions not evaluated or rejected demotivate participants.
* Poor quality of suggestions.
* Long backlog of suggestions.
* Lack of implementation resources.
* Lack of skill in assessing the potential of every suggestion.
* Lack of employee ownership of improvement suggestions.
* Difficulty in assessing the overall effectiveness of the system.
* Gaming when rewards are substantial.
* Lack of ownership of the system
Mean Time To Repairs
Quality Circles
SMED
Very Brief Summary:
* Quality Circles are small voluntary groups of workers who meet regularly to solve work-related problems using structured tools like Ishikawa’s 7 quality tools; they foster grassroots improvement and operator involvement.
* SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Die) is a structured method to reduce equipment setup/changeover times, enabling faster production shifts and increased flexibility, typically by separating internal and external setup tasks.
Task force and the obeya
A task force is a temporary, cross-functional team formed to tackle large, complex projects, often working in a shared space called an obeya—a dedicated “big room” designed to enhance communication, collaboration, and decision-making through visual project management tools and real-time interaction; while powerful, an obeya’s success depends on proper use, not just its presence.
Leading a transformation program
The “Total” activities require training at all levels, starting from top management. All members of the
organization receive training focused on their specific roles in promoting the activities within their area
of responsibility, supporting them on an ongoing basis, and personally participating. Until the activities
become integrated in “the way we work around here,” management must regularly check participation.
Starting from the top
Improvement must start at the top, as no operation is beyond improvement; excuses blaming external factors are misguided, and only strong, visible commitment from top leadership can drive meaningful change and later engage external partners.
Letting the XPS emerge
Instead of mandating tools upfront, companies should let plant teams experiment within broad guidelines and share results—this organic approach allows a company-specific production system (XPS) to emerge and evolve over time, with local units gradually progressing from avoiding to adapting the system through hands-on learning and leadership support.
The 4A framework of improvement program adoption
The 4A framework suggests that subsidiaries, units, or areas adopt, adapt, act, or avoid the
deployment of a corporate improvement program, as well as its sub-elements and practices
* “Adopting” means that the unit implements the practices prescribed by the global
improvement blueprint in full. When units are new to improvement work, this can be
effective.
* “Adapting” happens when the unit alters the practice to achieve a better fit with the
local contingencies. This is where you want the units to end up.
* “Acting” happens when the unit pretends to have implemented the practice, but in
reality, it is mostly superficial. This is a waste of time and efforts.
* “Avoiding” happens when units avoid the global improvement blueprint or its practices
altogether and continue with “business as usual.” While this is not an objective, at
least it does not incur costs.
The role of a plant improvement department
Successful transformation requires direct, long-term commitment from top leadership—especially the CEO—and cannot be delegated to improvement departments; line managers must lead changes in their own areas, while support teams provide guidance and resources, not execution. The support department should support, not execute.
