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KAIZEN IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS

Companies that have maturing World Class (Lean) operations programs now have a powerful tool at their disposal for taking performance to the next level. Kaizen means making small, incremental improvements over an extended time period. TCA Kaizen Events accelerate the improvement process by producing dramatic results, often in a week or less.

Kaizen Events employ a wide range of improvement tools listed below:

• Setup Reduction
• Cellular Layouts
• Pull Systems (Queue Limiters)
• One Piece Flow
• 5S (Workplace Improvement and Housekeeping)
• Facility Layouts
• Process Improvement

TCA is uniquely qualified to help "jumpstart" a Kaizen program. Our expertise in education, training, and teambuilding can be critical to the success of any performance improvement effort. TCA possesses the technical skills and experience needed to support Kaizen teams as they pursue meaningful improvements in performance by upgrading processes, facilities, systems, and people.

Kaizen works when:

• Quick results are needed
• Low cost is a criterion
• A results-oriented approach is important
• Workforce participation is critical
• Major innovations are not expected

Kaizen does not apply when:

• Extensive analysis or engineering is required
• Major innovations are expected

OBJECTIVES

Following are the objectives of a Kaizen improvement program:

• Integrate Kaizen improvements into an ongoing Lean strategy
• Ensure that Kaizen is understood and supported throughout the organization
• Plan Kaizen Events that support the organization's visions and goals
• Achieve significant results from the very beginning of the Kaizen program
• Reshape the organization's culture by building momentum behind Kaizen and continuous improvement

APPROACH

The flow chart below presents TCA's general approach to Kaizen Events. The first step is a management education and planning workshop, which results in the thoughtful selection of initial improvement projects. We then train and work with selected Kaizen teams to implement improvements in their work areas.

Within this general framework, TCA's teambuilding and facilitation skills are most important to achieving early success. In addition, we bring technical engineering skills that allow individual Kaizen teams to make dramatic, lasting improvements by reducing non-value-added activity and improving quality. Within each Kaizen Event, we support Kaizen teams as they apply TCA's proven methodologies for implementing Lean techniques.

TCA CONTRIBUTIONS

• Train management team in the Kaizen process
• Facilitate planning for first Kaizen Events
• Train Kaizen teams
• Provide coaching and technical support during Kaizen Events
• Help measure and document baseline performance and ongoing performance improvement
• Help Kaizen team to present improvement results to the management team
• Facilitate forward planning and schedule development for future Kaizen Events

BENEFITS

Kaizen Events are above all results oriented and should deliver dramatic performance improvements beginning with the first Kaizen Event. Results from other Kaizen Events have included:

• 98% on-time delivery
• 15+% productivity improvement
• 50% reduction in shop lead time
• 50% reduction in inventory
• 25% reduction in scrap and rework
• Achievement of a World Class "look and feel"

Step-wise approach provides:

• Initial hands-on experience with Kaizen
• Opportunity to create detailed plans for expanded applications of the Kaizen approach in ways that suit the culture, needs, and resources of the organization
• Development of in-house resources capable of managing the Kaizen process in the future

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