What is kaizen?

“kaizen is the overriding concepts

behind good management. It is a
unifying thread running through
the philosophy, the systems, and
problem solving tools developed
in Japan over the last 30 years”
Masaaki Imai
 3) kaizen pillars

As a
philosophy Kaizen Kaizen
systems tools

3
THE FIRST PILLAR

KAIZEN AS A
PHILOSOPHY
• KAIZEN is a philosophy of
continuous undertaking by an
organisation to improve its business
activities and processes with the goal
to always improve quality of
products and services so that the
organisation can meet full customer
satisfaction.
• KAIZEN can be built in and run with
an integrated and company-wide
approach through the collaboration
of all the levels of the organisation
that are top management, middle
managers and front-line
employees.
• Commitment, genuine
participation and motivation of all
the three actors are critical factors.
• KAIZEN normally places the
foremost importance in
improvements at the front-line
workplaces as the foundation of all
the improvement efforts.
• KAIZEN encompasses all the areas
that are related to quality,
productivity, cost, delivery, safety
and moral whose simultaneous
improvements are essential in
achieving customer satisfaction and
success of the organisation.
• KAIZEN, as undertaken by an
organisation, involves
continuous, dynamic and self-
disciplined practice in the
quest of improvement towards
ever higher quality and
productivity.
 KAIZEN in action and
KAIZEN’s knowledge bases
• The most significant difference between
KAIZEN and other business improvement
methods is that KAIZEN is continuous
undertaking.

• KAIZEN is a dynamic activity in revolving

cycles of PDCA, (Plan, Do, Check and
Action).
• Each one of the KAIZEN cycles has its steps
from the start to the end in the PDCA process.

• Once a new improvement becomes a new

standard, the next cycle is set up to seek further
improvement.

• KAIZEN is a continuous challenge towards

ever higher-level improvement, cycle by cycle,
without an end.
 Kaizen Ultimate Goals
Goals
Stronger
Added Value customer focus

Secure places of work

Guarantee
Delivery D Q Improve quality
Competitive capacity
Reliable,
Growth capable
Improved equipment &
logistics C process
Decrease cost

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Kaizen thinking versus traditional thinking
Price Price Price

Price Profit
Profit

Cost

Traditional Thinking Kaizen Thinking

Cost + Profit = Price Price - Cost = Profit

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 Characteristics of KAIZEN

1. Continuity
2. Participatory approach
3. Accumulation of small
improvements
4. Improvement without a large
amount of investment
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1. “Continuity”

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 2. “Participatory approach”

Promotion organization

Cross
Crossfunctional
functional
Division Division Division organization
organization
1 2 3
QCC 1
QCC 2
QCC 3

QCC
QCC
QCC
QCC

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. 3“Accumulation of small improvements”

• KAIZEN does not aim to attain

significant result, but
accumulation of small
improvement leading to
significant result.

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4. “Improvement without a large amount of money ”

• Waste elimination may not require

investment or little investment

• Introduction of 5S for a starter of

KAIZEN may need only a little
investment
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 Prerequisites of KAIZEN

1. K nowledge of KAIZEN concept and KAIZEN

technology
2. A ttitude with positive thinking
3. I nvolvement or participation from top
management to workers
4. Z ealous support for KAIZEN
5. E ducation on KAIZEN and KAIZEN technology
6. N ever-ending KAIZEN activity
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 1. “Knowledge of KAIZEN concept
and KAIZEN technology”

• KAIZEN culture is promoted by dissemination

of KAIZEN concept and technologies.
• KAIZEN concept is not so difficult to
understand.
• KAIZEN technologies include easy to difficult
techniques.
• KAIZEN should be started by use of easy
technologies such as 5S and QC7 tools.
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 2. “Attitude with positive thinking”

• KAIZEN concept and technologies can

build positive attitude.

• KAIZEN culture is promoted by

people and organization with positive
attitude to KAIZEN.

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 3. “Involvement or participation
from top management to workers”

• The top management who focuses interest on

KAIZEN is crucial success factor.
• Participation from workers related to KAIZEN
is essential for success and continuity.
• Because major problems often hides between
divisions or sections, formation of cross-
functional organization is necessary for
KAIZEN. 22
 4. “Zealous support for KAIZEN”

• KAIZEN can be promoted with paying zealous

attention to it.
• It looks like support for soccer which is the
source of power for the team.

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 5. “Education on KAIZEN and KAIZEN
technology ”

• KAIZEN is implemented by human resource.

• Education of KAIZEN concept and
technologies is crucial matter.
• KAIZEN aims to achieve good performance
through the development of human resource.

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 6. “Never-ending KAIZEN activity”

• KAIZEN, implementation is far more

important than theory.
• Don’t end KAIZEN if you aim to
make great improvement after small
success in KAIZEN.

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THE SECOND PILLAR

KAIZEN SYSTEMS
 KAIZEN systems
• Toyota Production System
• Total Productive Maintenance
• Company Wide Quality Control
• Total Quality Management System
• QCCs
• Suggestion System
THE THIRD PILLAR

KAIZEN
TOOLS
3 Kaizen tools
These are kaizen implementation methods
and technical tools. By basing on kaizen
philosophy and through following kaizen
systems , these tools can bring continuous
improvement. For example,
5s
7 Mudas /wastes
Qc 7 Tools
JIT (just in time production)
Basics of Industrial Engineering(IE)
Any other analytical tools