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Kaizen what is it and where can it be deployed? 
Introduction 
Having successfully deployed 5S (sort, set, shine, standardise and sustain) in the workplace 
as the foundation for other Business Improvement Techniques (BIT), Kaizen can be 
introduced in to organizations to reduce ‘waste’ and build on the efficiencies generated by 
5S. Kaizen goes hand in hand with 5S, deploying these tools sequentially and in some cases 
in parallel will maximise the benefits of both to the company and employees. 
The methodology behind a successful deployment of Kaizen is to hit it hard and fast then 
consolidate on the gains made. However, some organizations are reluctant to utilize this 
type of Kaizen Blitz event because such events take a team of employees away from their 
regular roles for a few days at a time. Companies often choose to initiate events with 
projects assigned to one or two individuals. As a result of this lack of perceived importance 
and a reduced number of personnel participating very rarely does this result in true 
improvement. In fact, it often results in organizations claiming that lean does not work for 
them. When this occurs it is crucial that a business realize the effects of a properly planned 
and executed event will pay for the perceived "lost time" of the participants many times 
1
over. In fact, their "real jobs" will become easier because they will include less "firefighting" 
and more productive activities since events will address many of the day-to-day problems 
with permanent solutions instead of sticking plasters. 
As with the 5S program it is critical that managerial and supervisory support is provided and 
if possible participation in lean events by personnel from supervisory levels take place so 
that the workforce can see for themselves the company is serious in deploying lean 
manufacturing tools. 
What is it? 
Kaizen is a systematic approach to ridding an organising of waste in the workplace. It is 
effective whether it is deployed in an industrial or clerical environment and is equally 
beneficial to both. Kaizen goes hand in hand with 5S(subject of another paper); it is the 
second stage of setting up the most effective process that permits the workplace to operate 
more effectively and efficiently. 
Kaizen Wastes 
As part of the Kaizen process when ‘Wastes’ are identified all of which detract from the 
bottom line, reducing efficiency and profitability that could otherwise be used to generate 
further income. The accepted 7 Kaizen wastes are: 
2 
 Transportation - only move things when you need to 
 Operator motion – plant set up poor 
 Inappropriate production – stockpiling 
 Defects / poor quality 
 Waiting – for parts, manpower, outside organisations 
 Inventory – too much stock on the books 
 Over processing – doing more than what was required. Two more are readily 
identified nowadays and these are; 
 Human resources – not utilising the skills at hand with existing employees. 
 Energy – with costs escalating it is essential to get control of this commodity. 
All the above represent resources within the business that have been ignored and even 
worse wasted. As far as the kaizen and 5S modules are concerned there will Inevitability be 
some natural wastage but through the right recycling processes an income can be generated 
from this also. 
How can it help the employer? 
Kaizen helps an Employer to get control over the wastes being generated within a business 
and is inherently present in most companies. Ridding a company of the ‘wastes’ is critical to 
the bottom line ensuring that profitability is maximised. This, in turn, allows the improved
turnover and profitability to attract more investment into the business. 
How can it help the employee? 
To maximise the effectiveness of Kaizen deployment it is critical that employees understand 
and supports its introduction into their work place. From this aspect it can sometimes be 
seen as a threat to jobs, whereas in reality it is more usually the opposite, as improving 
efficiency on the shop floor permits the reallocation of resources or introduction of new 
work from diversification. It is up to both management and the training provider to afford 
the necessary assurance to employees that efficiencies do not necessarily mean 
redundancies. 
What is involved in delivering Kaizen in the workplace? 
Delivering Kaizen effectively requires the whole workforce or, at a bare minimum, a 
significant cross section of employees seeded with key personnel from the supervisory level 
within a company. This is necessary to maximise the benefit of the module across the whole 
company. To be effective, sufficient personnel need to be trained in the methods employed 
by Kaizen so that the wastes being generated within the business are identified and 
eliminated in the shortest possible time. 
An example of successful deployment of Kaizen (shop floor layout saving time – one 
Kaizen waste) 
Before: 
3 
Spray Booth 
Drying Area 
Trailer Bed Welding 
Area 
Assembly Area 
The indirect 
relationship 
(dotted line) 
has pulled 
the assembly 
area closer to 
the spray 
booth and 
blocked the 
access to the 
welding area.
4 
After 
Without the 
indirect 
relationship, 
the designer is 
able to create 
simple 
effective 
workflows 
without 
congesting the 
area. 
Spray Booth 
Drying Area Assembl y Area 
Trailer Bed Weldin g 
Area 
As can be seen here, the deployment of Kaizen permitted an area full of confusion and 
waste to be used in a far more efficient and productive way. This is only a simplistic 
example, for more complex situations the workforce are a company’s best resource because 
their ideas will generate the best solution(s) to the problem. Here the method has been 
adapted and used in a trailer manufacturer. This indicates that Kaizen like 5S is adaptable 
and can be developed and used across many and varied industrial disciplines. 
What resources are required? 
Timetables for the delivery of the training and scheduling the release of personnel need to 
be finalised to minimise the effect of the package as far as practicable on the business. Its 
effectiveness will soon make itself felt, employees will talk about it and comment on the 
pros and cons of how they see the training going. Supervisory staff need to be made aware 
of this and provide the necessary support and encouragement when necessary. 
Initially, it will be a requirement to allocate time in the form of man-hours to the training of 
personnel. The most effective way to do this is to assign employees into classes of 5 or 6 
personnel (maximum 8) to receive training. However, this is repaid in the form of project 
work within the module that initiates the Kaizen programme within the business. 
Subsidiary resources are necessary but these do not amount to a large investment. A 
classroom / office space with seating and desk space for students along with projection 
facilities such as an overhead projector or TV. A number of businesses sometimes allocate a 
meeting room or indeed, on occasion, a boardroom. With the addition of pens, paper and 
folders that is generally all the resources necessary for the delivery of Kaizen. 
The only additional resource would depend on the scope of the projects identified by the 
companies for initiating the module within the business. This can vary from tins of paint to 
rewiring and installing new plant. While the kaizen activity is underway then temporary
floor space will be needed to help in the redistribution of materials. 
How to deliver the necessary tools 
When delivering any lean modules in to a business there are a number of golden rules that 
need to be applied. If these are not followed then there is a risk of alienating some 
employees. 
5 
 Business improvement Techniques (BIT) and Kaizen in particular at level 2 does 
not require a student to have an academic background, only an understanding of basic 
numeracy and literacy. This means care must be taken by the trainer to measure his 
/ her delivery to accommodate all level of students, not to do this could effectively put 
them off the training process. In some circumstances candidates may have real reading 
and writing difficulties but perform excellently in the work place. It is up to the trainer to 
watch out for such circumstances and deliver and assist the student(s) accordingly. 
 Engage students from the outset; use their ideas and knowledge of the business 
to adapt the bare course material to their workplace. Essentially creating a bespoke 
module that they will not only understand and relate to, but also be prepared to try. Get 
the courses to take ownership of the process. 
 Communicate clearly and concisely ensuring course material links directly with 
their experiences and their working environment. 
 Students must see for themselves that management and supervisory staff have 
also bought in to the programme and are indeed taking an active part and interest in 
what they are doing. Without this aspect employees will question why they are doing 
the training and ask what benefit, if any, they will get from the instruction. 
 Training resources used by tutors must be up to date, easily understood and 
delivered at the appropriate level for the students engaged in the Kaizen programme. 
Conclusion 
Essentially the delivery of BIT Kaizen is a cooperative contract between the employer, 
employee and the training provider. Without the necessary cooperation the process will 
struggle or even fail. With company support and enthusiasm to deploy the process success 
will follow and the workforce will become skilled ‘trained eyes’ in spotting inefficiencies and 
waste in the business. This can only be seen as a win win situation for both the employer 
and employee alike as inefficiencies are eradicated. 
Kaizen is part of the Continuous Improvement Techniques unit in the NVQ Diploma in 
Business Improvement

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Kaizen

  • 1. Kaizen what is it and where can it be deployed? Introduction Having successfully deployed 5S (sort, set, shine, standardise and sustain) in the workplace as the foundation for other Business Improvement Techniques (BIT), Kaizen can be introduced in to organizations to reduce ‘waste’ and build on the efficiencies generated by 5S. Kaizen goes hand in hand with 5S, deploying these tools sequentially and in some cases in parallel will maximise the benefits of both to the company and employees. The methodology behind a successful deployment of Kaizen is to hit it hard and fast then consolidate on the gains made. However, some organizations are reluctant to utilize this type of Kaizen Blitz event because such events take a team of employees away from their regular roles for a few days at a time. Companies often choose to initiate events with projects assigned to one or two individuals. As a result of this lack of perceived importance and a reduced number of personnel participating very rarely does this result in true improvement. In fact, it often results in organizations claiming that lean does not work for them. When this occurs it is crucial that a business realize the effects of a properly planned and executed event will pay for the perceived "lost time" of the participants many times 1
  • 2. over. In fact, their "real jobs" will become easier because they will include less "firefighting" and more productive activities since events will address many of the day-to-day problems with permanent solutions instead of sticking plasters. As with the 5S program it is critical that managerial and supervisory support is provided and if possible participation in lean events by personnel from supervisory levels take place so that the workforce can see for themselves the company is serious in deploying lean manufacturing tools. What is it? Kaizen is a systematic approach to ridding an organising of waste in the workplace. It is effective whether it is deployed in an industrial or clerical environment and is equally beneficial to both. Kaizen goes hand in hand with 5S(subject of another paper); it is the second stage of setting up the most effective process that permits the workplace to operate more effectively and efficiently. Kaizen Wastes As part of the Kaizen process when ‘Wastes’ are identified all of which detract from the bottom line, reducing efficiency and profitability that could otherwise be used to generate further income. The accepted 7 Kaizen wastes are: 2  Transportation - only move things when you need to  Operator motion – plant set up poor  Inappropriate production – stockpiling  Defects / poor quality  Waiting – for parts, manpower, outside organisations  Inventory – too much stock on the books  Over processing – doing more than what was required. Two more are readily identified nowadays and these are;  Human resources – not utilising the skills at hand with existing employees.  Energy – with costs escalating it is essential to get control of this commodity. All the above represent resources within the business that have been ignored and even worse wasted. As far as the kaizen and 5S modules are concerned there will Inevitability be some natural wastage but through the right recycling processes an income can be generated from this also. How can it help the employer? Kaizen helps an Employer to get control over the wastes being generated within a business and is inherently present in most companies. Ridding a company of the ‘wastes’ is critical to the bottom line ensuring that profitability is maximised. This, in turn, allows the improved
  • 3. turnover and profitability to attract more investment into the business. How can it help the employee? To maximise the effectiveness of Kaizen deployment it is critical that employees understand and supports its introduction into their work place. From this aspect it can sometimes be seen as a threat to jobs, whereas in reality it is more usually the opposite, as improving efficiency on the shop floor permits the reallocation of resources or introduction of new work from diversification. It is up to both management and the training provider to afford the necessary assurance to employees that efficiencies do not necessarily mean redundancies. What is involved in delivering Kaizen in the workplace? Delivering Kaizen effectively requires the whole workforce or, at a bare minimum, a significant cross section of employees seeded with key personnel from the supervisory level within a company. This is necessary to maximise the benefit of the module across the whole company. To be effective, sufficient personnel need to be trained in the methods employed by Kaizen so that the wastes being generated within the business are identified and eliminated in the shortest possible time. An example of successful deployment of Kaizen (shop floor layout saving time – one Kaizen waste) Before: 3 Spray Booth Drying Area Trailer Bed Welding Area Assembly Area The indirect relationship (dotted line) has pulled the assembly area closer to the spray booth and blocked the access to the welding area.
  • 4. 4 After Without the indirect relationship, the designer is able to create simple effective workflows without congesting the area. Spray Booth Drying Area Assembl y Area Trailer Bed Weldin g Area As can be seen here, the deployment of Kaizen permitted an area full of confusion and waste to be used in a far more efficient and productive way. This is only a simplistic example, for more complex situations the workforce are a company’s best resource because their ideas will generate the best solution(s) to the problem. Here the method has been adapted and used in a trailer manufacturer. This indicates that Kaizen like 5S is adaptable and can be developed and used across many and varied industrial disciplines. What resources are required? Timetables for the delivery of the training and scheduling the release of personnel need to be finalised to minimise the effect of the package as far as practicable on the business. Its effectiveness will soon make itself felt, employees will talk about it and comment on the pros and cons of how they see the training going. Supervisory staff need to be made aware of this and provide the necessary support and encouragement when necessary. Initially, it will be a requirement to allocate time in the form of man-hours to the training of personnel. The most effective way to do this is to assign employees into classes of 5 or 6 personnel (maximum 8) to receive training. However, this is repaid in the form of project work within the module that initiates the Kaizen programme within the business. Subsidiary resources are necessary but these do not amount to a large investment. A classroom / office space with seating and desk space for students along with projection facilities such as an overhead projector or TV. A number of businesses sometimes allocate a meeting room or indeed, on occasion, a boardroom. With the addition of pens, paper and folders that is generally all the resources necessary for the delivery of Kaizen. The only additional resource would depend on the scope of the projects identified by the companies for initiating the module within the business. This can vary from tins of paint to rewiring and installing new plant. While the kaizen activity is underway then temporary
  • 5. floor space will be needed to help in the redistribution of materials. How to deliver the necessary tools When delivering any lean modules in to a business there are a number of golden rules that need to be applied. If these are not followed then there is a risk of alienating some employees. 5  Business improvement Techniques (BIT) and Kaizen in particular at level 2 does not require a student to have an academic background, only an understanding of basic numeracy and literacy. This means care must be taken by the trainer to measure his / her delivery to accommodate all level of students, not to do this could effectively put them off the training process. In some circumstances candidates may have real reading and writing difficulties but perform excellently in the work place. It is up to the trainer to watch out for such circumstances and deliver and assist the student(s) accordingly.  Engage students from the outset; use their ideas and knowledge of the business to adapt the bare course material to their workplace. Essentially creating a bespoke module that they will not only understand and relate to, but also be prepared to try. Get the courses to take ownership of the process.  Communicate clearly and concisely ensuring course material links directly with their experiences and their working environment.  Students must see for themselves that management and supervisory staff have also bought in to the programme and are indeed taking an active part and interest in what they are doing. Without this aspect employees will question why they are doing the training and ask what benefit, if any, they will get from the instruction.  Training resources used by tutors must be up to date, easily understood and delivered at the appropriate level for the students engaged in the Kaizen programme. Conclusion Essentially the delivery of BIT Kaizen is a cooperative contract between the employer, employee and the training provider. Without the necessary cooperation the process will struggle or even fail. With company support and enthusiasm to deploy the process success will follow and the workforce will become skilled ‘trained eyes’ in spotting inefficiencies and waste in the business. This can only be seen as a win win situation for both the employer and employee alike as inefficiencies are eradicated. Kaizen is part of the Continuous Improvement Techniques unit in the NVQ Diploma in Business Improvement