KAIZEN

“Kai” in Japanese means “change”

and “zen” means good. The literary
meaning of kaizen is “change for
good”
Kaizen is the Japanese philosophy of
continuos improvement by all the
employees in an organization so that
they perform their task a little better
each day.It is a never ending journey
centered on the concept of starting
new each day with the principle that
the existing methods / process can
always be improved
The road to excellence is not the major
break through but small continuos
improvements which results in real cost
saving, higher quality or better
productivity.

The latest development in Japan advocates

the idea of taking small incremental risk
along with small continuos improvements to
win.
Kaizen : Foundation

> Employee empowerment

>Self discipline
>Recognition
 STEPS TO
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
I. Employing a consistent organization-wide
approach to continual improvement of the
organization’s performance.

II. Making continual improvement of

products, processes and systems an
objective for every individual in the
organization.

III. Establishing goals to guide, and measures

to track, continual improvement.

IV. Providing people with training in the

methods and tools of continual improvement.

V. Recognizing and acknowledging

improvements.
 CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
The ongoing
improvement of products,
services or processes
through incremental and
breakthrough
improvements
KAIZEN can be described as the typical industrial engineering

approach of striving to improve motions and raise efficiency

that has been going on ever since the Taylor era.

Know the work place and search out
waste.

•Kaizen begins with finding out problems and waste at the

work place.

•Every operation needs to be constantly scrutinized and the

question should always be asked

“ IS THERE A BETTER WAY?

 Before beginning with kaizen

A work place where the 5S is not maintained , any sort of

improvement is not possible.

Basic kaizen begins with 5S

 5S
• 5S Does not mean only cleaning as most of understand this way .
• There are 5 elements in 5S.
What is 5S?

The 5S stands for the following five essential requirements.

1. SEIRI PROPER SELECTION
2. SEITON PROPER ARRANGEMENT
3. SEISO CLEANING
4. SEIKETSU CLEANLINESS
5. SHITSUKE WELL DECIPLINED MANNER
 1. SEIRI
The meaning of SEIRI is proper selection.

Items which are necessary for work are to be separated from those not
necessary, so that there will be nothing unnecessary on your work floors.
The unnecessary items are to be immediately disposed off.
 2. SEITON
SEITON means proper arrangement.

All the necessary items are to be kept in their designated place so

that any one can pick them readily when needed, thus minimising
the time and labor wasted in looking for them.
" A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING IN IT'S PLACE"
 3. SEISO
The meaning of SEISO is cleaning.

The work place should be kept free from rubbish, kept clean, neat
and tidy at all the times.
 4. SEIKETSU
SEIKETSU means cleanliness.

By abiding and constant repetition of SEIRI, SEITO AND SEISO,

the work place will always be maintained in the best condition.
 5. SHITSUKE
The translation of SHITSUKE is well-disciplined manner.

Everyone should be disciplined to follow strictly the rules and

maintain the standards while working.
 AVERAGE CONTRIBUTION

Saleable jobs
Waste

25 %
40 %

35 % Not Saleable but

necessary
Start with a proper awareness of waste.
The difference between motion and work

Real work means producing a saleable product with high quality

Unsaleable work only increases costs
Saleable and unsaleable work must be clearly differentiated
 Eliminate all waste
In any manufacturing process, there is always a lot of
unsaleable work and this must be eliminated
Waste must be identified visibly
 How to identify hidden waste?
Create standards and maintain them. Standardized operation are to
be established at any cost.
Reducing stocks helps in identifying hidden waste
 Reduce all sorts of cushion
Making provisions for breakdowns, quality problems etc.. only
generates hidden wastes.
Basic 8 types of waste
Eight types of waste that reduce
profits
• Overproduction
• Idle time
• Unnecessary transport
• Unnecessary movement
• Excessive inventory
• Producing defective parts
• Unnecessary inspection
• Unnecessary processing
Waste from overproduction
Waste from idle time
Waste from unnecessary
transport
Waste from unnecessary
movement
Waste from excessive
inventory
Waste from producing
defective parts
Waste from unnecessary
inspection
Waste from unnecessary
processing
Improving labour efficiency
 100 % Operational availability

A 100% Rate Of Operation has no meaning Equipments should

always be available for production with desired quality levels .
Improve overall efficiency
Shortest possible
in-process time
One-by-one production system
Same operation time for all
processes
Multifunctional
operator
Small lot size
Make only what is required
for the subsequent process
Produce only what is needed, when it
is needed and in the quantity it is
needed
No space is needed for
inventory
Improved efficiency comes from
standardization of operations
3 Elements for standardised
operations
Cycle time
Operation sequence
Standard quantity of Work in
process
Think of kaizen from 4
viewpoints
Following areas also need
attention
 3 M

• MUDA
• MURA
• MURI
 MUDA - WASTAGE
• Excess manpower
• Unnecessary movement of man,
material & vehicles
• Multiple handling
• Generation of scrap
• Rework
• Unproductive, complicated & lengthy
procedures
 MURA - INCONSISTENCY
• Unequal distribution of work
• Inconsistent quality of components
• Inconsistent quality due to inadequate
foolproofing
 MURI - INCONVENIENCE
• Uncomfortable posture
• Dependence on strenuous physical
work
Kaizen Examples

SPACE SAVING
 Space Saving
Position change of lubricating oil tank
which was projecting out

Are there any equipment accessories

projecting out ? Try to shift these to
suitable locations .
 Space Saving
Placing hydraulic tank on top of the parts shelf

Do you find any equipment accessories

projecting out which can be placed on top
of some other item, thus saving space ?
 Space Saving
Placement of electric fans

Let the fans be mounted on pillars, wall

or ceiling . This will also ensure safety .
 Space Saving
Effective use of space below working table,
etc...

Is there any vacant space below

working table, roller conveyor, etc...
which can be utilized effectively ?
 Space Saving
Effective use of operating range of
overhead crane

Place dies, etc... within the operating

range of overhead crane.
OPERATION IMPROVEMENT
 Operation Improvement
Improvement in handling of heavy bin

Can you simplify the way in which heavy

objects are being handled ?
 Operation Improvement
Simplification of bin replacement

Are there any handling operations in

which use of forklift can be eliminated
by changeover to roller trolleys ?
 Elimination of use of hammer

Identify areas where hammering operation

can be eliminated .
 Operation Improvement
Improvement in working posture

Look for operations where operator

is working in uncomfortable posture.
Implement Kaizens to rectify these .
 Operation Improvement
Reduction in man movement by changing layout

Identify areas where distance between 2

workstations can be reduced .
Reduction in man movement by change in
location of facilities.

Identify wasteful man movements in various

processes and try to eliminate the same .
 Operation Improvement
Reduction in man movement by changing
location of parts storage

Is it possible to reduce man movement

by changing work position, location
of material storage or material flow ?
 Operation Improvement
Working posture improvement without
changing height of work table

Can we improve working posture

without changing height of work table ?
 Operation Improvement
Visual control - Opening & closing of air valve

Visual control is important in reducing

errors & improving efficiency .
ENERGY SAVING
 Energy Saving
Height change of fluorescent lamp

Illuminance is inversely proportional to the

square of distance . So place the lamp
closer to operator .
 Energy Saving
Change in position of light

Change the position of lamps so that

shadow of operator does not affect
his work .
 Energy Saving
Change from 2 lamp type to one lamp type

The standard for fluorescent lamp is

not 2 tubes / set . Change it to one tube
type wherever it is enough .
 Energy Saving
Fixing of tube light on machine

Wherever possible , fix tube light on

equipment itself .
 Energy Saving
Lighting in material storage area

Review lighting arrangement in material storage

area . Provide common switch so that lights are
on only when someone is working in these areas
 Energy Saving
Change from mercury lamp to fluorescent lamp

Whenever possible, use individual lighting

for each work area as compared to general
lighting which normally uses mercury lamps
 Energy Saving
Use of gravity flow

Eliminate use of motorized conveyors

wherever flow of material using gravity
force is possible .
WEIGHT REDUCTION
Weight Reduction - Compactness
Making chip carrier conveyor compact

Try not use any resources for scrap

collection & handling .
Weight Reduction - Compactness
Weight reduction of material trolleys

Make moving objects lighter

 Weight Reduction - Compactness
Weight reduction of balancer

Reduce weight of balancer so that it

is easier to handle .
MATERIAL FLOW
IMPROVEMENT
 Material Flow Improvement
Reduction in multiple handling

Material handling does not add value

to final product . Try to reduce material
handling.
 Material Flow Improvement
Direct supply of material to line

Introduce direct supply of material to

line . Eliminate intermediate storage .
 Material Flow Improvement
Reduction in frequency of transportation

Implement Kaizens to improve capacity

of bins and trolleys so that higher number
of components can be carried at one time.
 Material Flow Improvement
Increase in storage capacity

Is it possible to change from one

layer storage to double layer storage ?
 Material Flow Improvement
Increase in container utilization

Check load efficiency of truck consignments.

Is it possible to improve it to reduce number
of trips .
 Material Flow Improvement
Improvement in handling efficiency

Is it possible to improve handling

efficiency by supplying parts in
dismantled condition ?
 QUALITY
IMPROVEMENT
 Quality Improvement
Prevention of coolant spillage

Identify areas where coolant or oil spillage

is taking place and implement suitable
kaizens to avoid these .
 Quality Improvement
Prevention of scratches on car body

Operators not to wear any hard object

which can create scratches during working .
 Quality Improvement
Prevention of loose parts inside vehicle

Implement Kaizens to avoid loose parts

remaining inside vehicle .
 Quality Improvement
Prevention of defects using mobile light

Try to improve lighting in inspection

area to avoid defects being passed on
to next stage .
 Quality Improvement
Improvement to avoid mixing of parts

To ensure quality, it is important to

ensure only one type of part in one
container.
5 S including Environment
protection
 5S
Prevention of scattering of chips

What are the ways to avoid scattering

of chips on the floor ?
 5S
Prevention of oil spill through trolley improvement

It is important to avoid spillage of oil

on floor . Implement kaizens to find
long term solutions to avoid spillage .
 5S
Placement of dust container between conveyors

It is important not to scatter dust on floor .

 5S
Prevention of parts falling by using
trolleys with sliding bars

Identify trolleys where trolley capacity can

be increased using sliding bar type holder
and prevent parts from falling .
 5S
Removal of useless legs of working bench

Wherever possible, eliminate legs. This

will make it easier to clean the area .
 5S
Position change of operation panel

Removal of legs of operation panel and

placing it on machine saves space as well
as makes cleaning easier.
 5S
Roller trolley instead of stationery rack

Roller trolleys being mobile, make cleaning

easier .
 5S
Improvement of 5S by using wiring duct

Avoid wires lying on floor in unorganized

way. Proper arrangement can help in
better cleanliness & accident prevention .
 5S
Cover for wiring

5 S of wiring is necessary not only in

production shops but in offices as well.
 5S
Provision on roller rack and avoidance of
keeping components on floor

Keeping parts on floor not only causes

quality problems but also makes it
difficult to keep the area clean .
 5S
Removal of hoses on floor

Implement Kaizens to avoid hoses lying

on floor. Use reel type hoses where long
hoses are required.
 5S
Proper use of vertical space

Use shelf type storage to improve 5 S.

 5S
Changeover to open type shelf

Make items kept in storage shelf

visible from outside .
 5S
Introduction of flow rack

Flow rack can reduce man & material

movement distance & improve 5S
 5S
Improvement in document storage

Documents, such as, checksheets can be

stored in transparent boxes with proper
labeling mentioning relevant information
 5S
5 S of working bench

Tools can be kept in organized manner.

Hanging tools in proper order is the
best method .
 5S
Proper arrangement of inspection gauges

Inspection gauges can be stored vertically

so that it is easy to find required gauges
SAFETY and Accident
prevention
 Safety - Accident Prevention
Review location of fire extinguishers

Fire extinguishers should be located in

such a position that it is easy to use
it during emergency .
 Safety - Accident Prevention
Keeping safety passage free

Passage towards fire extinguishers and fire

alarms can be painted in different color. No
trolleys or other items to be kept in this
passage
 Safety - Accident Prevention
Emergency exit sign

It is important to ensure that emergency

exit signs are visible from anywhere.
 Safety - Accident Prevention
Emergency light

Place portable emergency lights at suitable

locations.
 Safety - Accident Prevention
Replacement of wooden pallets by plastic
pallets and skids

Wooden pallets can be safety hazards in

case of fire .
Everyone must be involved in
kaizen