Kaizen Culture Compatible With Pace of Business Change

Does the kaizen culture position an enterprise to deal with the high-pace of business change? Leadership coach discusses managing meaningful change in an organization and the commitment necessary to endure successive waves of change.

... "What is so striking in today's workplaces is the sheer volume of those continuous improvement changes and the rate of change to the changes. " ...

Via Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Leading change

Toyota Kaizen Carries Through to Motorsports

Toyota uses kaizen techniques to coordinate continuous improvement across its motorsports teams. The teams have confronted major challenges with this mindset. The knowledge of new race teams is leveraged across the organization. ...

... "Kaizen, a Japanese term commonly translated as continuous improvement, has been the ethos for Toyota's Motorsports operation. The way kaizen is achieved by the various teams in all three levels of NASCAR racing is by working together as one as much as possible. " ...

Via FOX Sports: NASCAR

Kaizen Small Improvements Accumulate

Philosophy of workforce harmony is supported with a foundation of kaizen improvement to enable success of the enterprise. ...

... "They call it kaizen, or continuous improvement. ... Every employee of a company is focused on making many small improvements wherever they may be. It could be as simple as always maintaining a clean workplace, which reduces confusion and allows workers to remain focused. " ...

Via Grand Forks Herald: Wind turbine blade manufacturer

Kaizen Love: Beyond the Factory

Can the principles of kaizen improve your life? Continuous improvement is not just for the factory. ...

... "Patience lets them test carefully and choose the best changes of the best, and then improve on them further. The deliberate process helps them know which changes were useful and important, and which were incidental. " ...

Via American Chronicle: Benefits of Kaizen

Kaizen Innovative Methods

Toyota uses innovative methods to empower its workforce and improve the performance of the enterprise. ...

... "Toyota, whose $1.3 billion plant near Blue Springs will be the company's eighth North American assembly plant, is often associated kaizen, or continuous improvement, which is associated with its Toyota Production System. " ...

Via Trading Markets: Methods of Innovation

Lean Software Support Visual Workplace

BubbleQuest offers a number of software modules, such as people, measures, organization, improvement, and training aids, that enable the implementation of lean techniques and kaizen improvements. ...

... "Kaizen is the process of continuous improvement using small, sustainable steps. The focus is on achieving small sustainable improvements by identifying & reducing sources of waste. " ...

Via Bubble Quest: Kaizen

Lean Principles Leadership Culture Empowers Employees

Wisconsin manufacturing company sees success from lean principles. The company's leadership committment creates an empowered culture of continuous improvement. The company will be recognized with a manufacturing award this week. ...

... "Lean manufacturing principles, in combination with our strong leadership culture, have allowed PCMC to flourish. We have created a unique environment based on continuous improvement and employee empowerment ... " ...

Via Green Bay Press-Gazette: Wisconsin Manufacturing Success

Navy Lean Six Sigma Lowers Backorders

Navy leader shares his perspective on the benefits of lean. ...

... "Asked about his support for Lean Six Sigma, Roesner said the practice of continuous process improvement has helped lower backorders at NAVICP to their lowest point ever because we took out the unnecessary work. " ...

Via Battle Creek Enquirer: Federal Presentation

TPS Toyota's Production System

Insights on TPS ...

Lean Manufacturing Excellence Recognition for Medical Diagnostics Company

Ventana Medical Systems is awarded the National Award for Manufacturing Excellence from the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME). The award is in recognition of the utilization of strategies and techniques that improve competitiveness and profitability. ...

... "We are very proud to be the recipient of this award, which places us as a leader in lean systems methodologies regionally, nationally and within the diagnostics industry. Our lean manufacturing initiatives, which are supported by a culture of continuous improvement, are just one of the many ways we strive every day to constantly improve upon quality, productivity and profitability throughout all levels of our global organization. " ...

Via Ventana Medical Systems: Ventana Medical Systems to Receive National Award for Manufacturing Excellence from the AME

Automotive Quality Leader of the Year

American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM) Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO Richard E. Dauch is recognized by the American Society for Quality, Automotive Division as its 2007 Quality Leader of the Year. ...

... "Providing our customers with exceptional quality products is a top priority at American Axle & Manufacturing. Since AAM was founded in 1994, we have emphasized continuous improvement in our operations utilizing Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing and Total Quality Management Systems. Today, we are proud to say that we have achieved an industry-leading 9 PPM as measured by our largest customer. " ...

Via American Axle: Richard E. Dauch Receives Quality Leader Award from ASQ Automotive Division

Kaizen Enables Hospital Improvements

Hospital sees benefits from kaizen approach to continuous improvement, where the workforce is empowered to seek change. ...

... "Columbus Regional Hospital in Columbus, Ind., focused on changing the culture and environment in its surgical area to improve operations. Practice changes were driven by stringent data analysis, as well some newer methodologies, including Lean Six Sigma and Kaizen. " ...

Via Infection Control Today: Hospital Efficiency

Small Continuous Change, Entrepreneurs Toolbox

Entrepreneurs can sustain business success by enrolling the workforce in many, small improvements, using the kaizen style of management. ...

... "Shortly after World War II, Japanese companies created a management concept called Kaizen. The concept of Kaizen is to make small continuous changes and it includes everyone from the CEO to the janitors. " ...

Via USA Today: Entrepreneur Advice on Business Success

Award Recognizes Leader of Lean Organization

Company president recognized for lean manufacturing achievements. ...

... "I attribute this recognition to the many Ariens employees who have embraced lean manufacturing in creating a culture of continuous improvement, says Ariens. In the process they have driven the company's annual productivity gains. " ...

Via Lawn & Landscape: Manufacturing Award

Project Charter: Lean Six Sigma Approach For Smart Operations

Bearing Point will assist military in their improvement program, which builds on Lean Six Sigma methods. ...

... "The Air Force's Smart Ops program charter incorporates both Lean and Six Sigma business process improvement tools. " ...

Air Force Work Process Improvement

Voice of Customer: Key to Continuous Improvement and Innovation

Do continuous improvement programs stifle innovation? Not if they embrace the voice of the customer and leverage customer input in the product development process. Marketplace competition increasingly involves new value chains that require collaboration across enterprises. ...

... "Whatever the process, be it Stage-Gate, Six Sigma, the Lean Methodology, or a combination thereof, the concept of continuous improvement is generally at its core. The best industrial innovators, irrespective of their size, constantly ask themselves questions such as: What do our customers want? " ...

Via E-Commerce News: Customer Feedback

Manufacturing Consolidation Optimize Lean Opportunities

Aerosonic Corporation will consolidate manufacturing functions at its Clearwater, Florida facility. The consolidation is a continuation of Aerosonic's actions to be more responsive to customers' needs and to increase operational efficiency. ...

... "Avionics Specialties manufactures angle of attack stall warning systems, integrated multifunction probes, which are integrated air data sensors, and other aircraft sensors and monitoring systems. The Company will execute the consolidation plan in a phased approach to maintain delivery schedules and product quality. David Baldini, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented: We are restructuring the Company in a way that maximizes efficiencies and increases profitability. This consolidation allows us to focus on continuous improvements in our processes and optimize lean manufacturing opportunities to ensure the best use of our resources and gain a new level of efficiency that is required to remain competitive. " ...

Via Aerosonic: Aerosonic Announces Consolidation of Manufacturing Operations ...

Select Continuous Improvement Program to Compete Globally

Embrace continuous improvement to compete effectively in your industry and marketplace. Be prepared to staff a program management office and support the culture change necessary for a lean manufacturing or Six Sigma journey. Business process focus comes first. But, software systems can support change, automation, reduction of manual efforts. ...

... "Six Sigma uses statistical analysis to reduce variation. By reducing variation, the probability of producing a defect is less. " ...

Via IndustryWeek: Which Continuous Improvement Program Is Appropriate For Your Enterprise?

Lean Training Goes On Tour

Lean culture differentiates Japanese from US companies.

... "Instead of paying people to retire, a likely Japanese alternative would be to put people on kaizen (continuous improvement) teams, capitalizing on their experience and problem solving potential instead of paying them to stay at home. ... World Class Manufacturing is not a short-term concept. Justifying the hard work and application of resources to the improvement process is difficult if the focus is on quarterly reports. A fundamentally change in the way success is measured must be adopted if our economy is to remain viable and sustainable. " ...

Toyota Continues their March Past US Automakers: Lean Enterprise Training Announces Six City Tour Kicks off in Oregon ...