Kaizen PQM

KAIZEN
PHILOSOPHY
Introduction : What is “Kaizen”?
 Kaizen means "improvement".

 It is a Japanese workplace philosophy which
focuses on making continuous small
improvements which keep a business at the
top of its field.
 The philosophy involves everyone in the
organization – managers and workers alike –
and urges them to make never-ending efforts
for improvement.
 For example, in Japanese companies, such as
Toyota and Canon, several suggestions per
employee are written down, shared and
implemented.
The Origin of Kaizen
 The foundation of Kaizen was laid in Japan

after the Second World War, when the
country was attempting to rebuild
infrastructure and rethink many systems.
 Several American experts on workplace
improvement including W. Edwards Deming and
Joseph Juran came to Japan to lecture and
 teach.
Using information from these individuals regarding
the TWI (Training Within Industry) programs , the
concept of Kaizen began to be formed and it
took off in the 1950s.
Kaizen : Key principles
 The first is a heavy reliance on teamwork, in
which everyone's opinion is valued and
considered.
 Workers also have strong personal discipline, and morale
in factories must improve under kaizen.
 Workers should also be confident about offering

suggestions for improvement, even when a
system appears to be functioning adequately
 Kaizen recognizes that there is always room

for improvement
 Finally, the system uses quality circles, worker groups

who meet and work together to solve problems and
come up with innovative changes.
Kaizen : Implementation Concepts
 Kaizen encompasses many of the components

of Japanese businesses that have been seen as
a part of their success.
 Some of these concepts inspired by Kaizen

are:
 5S
 The Deming or Shewhart Cycle (PDCA)
 Quality circles
 Kanban
“5 S” in Kaizen
 “5 S” is a method for organizing a workplace, especially
a shared workplace (like a shop floor or an office
 “Seiri” (Sort): Tidiness, keeping only essential
space).
items.
 “Seiton” (Set In Order): Orderliness, eliminate
 extra motion.
 “Seiso” (Shine): Cleanliness, keep the workplace clean.
 “Seiketsu” (Standardize):

 Standardize work practices

 “Shitsuke” (Self Discipline): Sustaining, maintaining
discipline and reviewing standards.

The Kaizen cycle
 PDCA (Plan-Do-
Check-Act) cycle
 Also known as
the Deming or
Shewhart cycle
 It a continuous
never-ending
process i.e.
cyclic ad-
infinitum
Kaizen in Toyota
The Toyota Production System is known for it’s use of
kaizen.
 After World War II, Taiichi Ohno was charged with setting up machine
shops for Toyota. He studied the Ford production systems. He
analyzed the various productive measures and discrepancies in the
system.
 Based on the analysis, he outlined several production strategies for
Toyota. These production strategies later became benchmarks for
production practices across the world.
 Toyota thus became one of the first companies in the world to

adopt practices such as Kaizen. Analysts however feel that Kaizen
kept TPS, JIT, Kanban and other practices working smoothly as an
interlinked strategic operational plan.
Toyota’s use of Kaizen to solve labor crisis
 In the early 1990s, Toyota was facing acute labor

shortage
 Toyota’s initial management focus was on increasing production
efficiency through higher production levels with less number of workers.
This resulted in increased stress and worker exodus
 The global upsurge in c ar demand during 1987-1991led to

drastic increase in demand for labors
 Toyota realized that it would have to rely on Kaizen for modifying its
existing assembly lines to attract workers.
 The c ompany dec ided to c hange its working c onditions

to accommodate workers of more diverse nature
 The management decided to allow plants to set their own annual

production efficiency targets. Production efficiency measurement was
based on worker’s production time rather than on best production time
Key Benefits of Kaizen
 Widely applicable – Can be used in both
manufacturing and non-manufacturing
environments
 Highly effective & results oriented - Kaizen

events will generate quick results, Measurable
results, Establish the baseline, and measure the
change
 Higher operational efficiency

– Reduces wastage, like inventory waste,
time waste, workers motion
 Improves space utilization and product
quality
 A Learning Experience – Every member of a
Kaizen Team will walk away from the event
learning something new.
 Encourages big picture thinking
 Results in higher employee morale and job
satisfaction, and lower turn-over.
Kaizen can be applied to real life also…
Consider the case of a student’s bag. The items can be

classified into
 Notes and assignments
 Stationary (pens, notepads
 etc.)
Other items like calculators,

pen drive
Regular etc. of the stationary items ensures that the
checking
notemaking is not affected due to lack of stationary.
Keeping notes and assignments organized enables faster
access to them.
Overall checking of bag at regular intervals ensures that
no necessary items are missing.
Conclusion
 “Kaizen” or “continuous improvement” should

be a part of our everyday life.
 The concept is simple but if properly applied

can lead to significant efficiency
improvements for organizations.
 Kaizen and its associated concepts like PDCA,

Kanban and Quality Circles have been critical
to the success of large organizations like
Toyota, Canon and Nippon.
Sources
 www.wikipedia.org ww
 w.howstuffworks.com
 Masaaki Imai(1986). “Kaizen: The Key to
Japan's Competitive Success” McGraw-
 Hill/Irwin.
 www.icmrindia.org
www.toyota.com
Thank you.

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What is Kaizen philosophy?

What is Kaizen philosophy?

What are some key principles of Kaizen?

What are some key principles of Kaizen?

KAIZEN

 Kaizen means "improvement".

 The foundation of Kaizen was laid in Japan

 Workers should also be confident about offering

 Kaizen recognizes that there is always room

 Finally, the system uses quality circles, worker groups

 Kaizen encompasses many of the components

 Some of these concepts inspired by Kaizen

 Toyota thus became one of the first companies in the world to

 In the early 1990s, Toyota was facing acute labor

 The global upsurge in c ar demand during 1987-1991led to

 The c ompany dec ided to c hange its working c onditions

 The management decided to allow plants to set their own annual

 Highly effective & results oriented - Kaizen

 Higher operational efficiency

Consider the case of a student’s bag. The items can be

 Stationary (pens, notepads

Other items like calculators,

 “Kaizen” or “continuous improvement” should

 The concept is simple but if properly applied

 Kaizen and its associated concepts like PDCA,

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