Kaisen
Derived from the Japanese word for “improvement” Kaisen is a Japanese philosophy that focuses on continuous improvement in all aspects of life. It is in the context of Kaisen in the workplace where UMTPlus and UmtAudit™ tools are beneficial.
The philosophy can be used to continually improve all functions within the business from manufacturing to management and from the CEO to the shop floor workers. Improvement is achieved through standardisation of procedures and processes, eliminating waste and continually measuring against the standards set.
Kaisen was initially implemented in a number of Japanese businesses shortly after W.W.2., including Toyota. It has gradually spread across the globe and is internationally recognised as a necessary manufacturing control tool.
Kaisen is a daily activity which goes beyond productivity improvement, it humanises the workplace, eliminates excessive hard work (that may lead to stress or illness) and teaches workers confidence in experimenting with their work practices in order to improve productivity and eliminate waste.
To be most effective Kaisen must adhere to these three principles:
1. Consideration of the process, results required and the steps to achieve the results.
2. Systemisation of the whole process (the big picture) in order to avoid creating problems elsewhere in the process.
3. A learning, non – judgemental, non – blaming culture where the original assumptions can be safely re-examined.
All members of the organisation from the CEO down, and even external shareholders, may participate in the process. The way the process operates is largely determined by the organisation, usually taking the form of a group within a particular section that become responsible for their own environment and productivity. Whilst improvements are usually small, a culture of continuous improvement yields significant improvements in all areas over a period of time. So it is not just the results, but the building of the culture, that is at the heart of Kaisen.
The cycle for implementation:
1. Standardise an operation – define in detail
2. Measure cycle times, materials & other resources
3. Gauge measurements against requirements
4. Innovate to improve productivity whilst meeting requirements
5. Standardise the new process
6. Continue ad infinitum
Success of the process lies in the time – based thinking and any ways in which measurement and checking can be made in less time add to the overall improvement generated by Kaisen. Work measurement and time study using PDA’s where instant reporting can also be achieved is a necessity rather than a nicety.