Metal Fabrication And The Gemba Kaizen Method
Gemba Kaizen Defined
Kaizen is a Japanese term meaning “continuous improvement.” It focuses on gradual alterations for continual growth in a business. The small changes continue over time instead of focusing on one significant change that happens once in awhile and hopes for a drastic improvement. Kaizen dictates that human resources are the most important sector of a company. Additionally, an extreme alteration does not instill success as well as small alterations that are performedregularly. Finally, Kaizen says that improvements have to be based on statistics and numbers developed from the procedures in an organization.
Gemba is an additional Japanese term, which means “real place.” When speaking of Gemba Kaizen, it is referring to wherever the work is taking place or the shop floor. It also handles eliminating, reducing, and finding any inconsistencies within an organization.
Principles of Kaizen
To put Kaizen into practice, a team has to be established that will observe the workplace and learn the principles of Kaizen. There are five main points in Kaizen. The first principle is the promotion of teamwork. The second is that staff have to be disciplined on a personal level. The third point is that morale needs to be improved in the work setting. The fourth principle is regarding quality circles, or groups of people who meet to discuss quality issues, and the last point involves any suggestions for improvement and growth, and can come from any member of a quality improvement team.
Examples of Kaizen Implementation
One aerospace metal producer took a Gemba Kaizen workshop and also obtained consulting from a firm offering these services. The business’s goals were to increase earning by growing their sales and lowering the costs of operating the business. The areas they needed to work on in order to lessen costs were space availability, inventory, and the productivity of their labor force. After the class, the business was able to lower their space needs by more than 5,000 sq ft, reduce manufacturing lead-times by over 23%, grow their sales, and their yearly return on investment for the lean consulting was over 5 to 1. The class and consulting paid for itself in the benefits that resulted from the Gemba Kaizen methods.
Application of Kaizen
Our metal manufacturing business, Maloya, utilized Kaizen through a series of steps. They created efficiency metrics to calculate performance in their work areas for production. They also conducted measurements of production quality methods in addition to benchmarking of the necessary skill sets for employees in the different work centers at Maloya. This allowed them to determine which of their staff membersrequired subsequent training.
Benefits of Kaizen
Benefits of implementing Kaizen include the recognition of difficulties right at where they ensue so that they can be fixed at the core. Small improvements can result in larger gains for the organization. Improvements in the quality of fabrications and costs will make customers happier and then business will grow due to the clients who are happy with their purchase. Implementing employee involvement in the advancement of the business makes them happier to be at work and makes them feel a part of the whole process. There are many chances to use Kaizen, and implementing it in a metal manufacturing setting can provide substantial gains.
Marc Anderes is a co-founder of Maloya Laser which specializes in Laser Cutting and Metal Manufacturing with advanced laser technologies, targeting aerospace, medical, machinery, scientific and transportation needs.
