16 Kaizen Key Words
Introduction
What is the meaning of waste?
16 Kaizen Kew words for Improvements.
Conclusion.
Introduction
As per Mr. Masaaki Imai, (The Father of kaizen), Existing companies are divided into two types traditional (99%) and lean type (1%).
Traditional companies employ maximum resources for minimum output, while lean companies employ minimum resources for maximum output.
Once Mr. Taiichi Ohno said that I don't know who came up with 7 types of waste but surely there are more than seven types of waste in the industry.
Today we are going to understand these 16 Kaizen keywords briefly because you can write an essay on each of these words.
What is the meaning of waste?
As you know every company has the three major functions of designing, making, and selling products, and without them, the company is unable to exist.
The company is working at its best when these functions are working together in concert.
The operational flow is fundamental to both TPS and lean strategy. When this flow gets hindered for any reason like machine breakdown, setup, waiting of manpower, etc. it's called the MUDA or waste.
Muda is anything and everything that disrupts a smooth flow of operations and Kaizen eliminates these disruptions and makes a smooth, continual, and Swift flow.
16 Kaizen Kew words for Improvements.
Let's first discuss the Seven Types of Waste.
The best book to understand these Muda or waste is “Learn to See” and “The GOAL”.
Muda of Over Production: This means producing more than required by the Customer. Here the meaning of Customer is the next process owner.
If we produce more than the requirement of the next process, it will force us to shift the excess material to another place, which is against the flow manufacturing concept.
It's said that Overproduction is the biggest Muda out of these seven types of Muda.
Solution:- KANBAN
Muda of waiting: In the manufacturing operations we used to wait for instructions for the next operation, confirmation from Quality assurance whether the product I am making is okay or not. There might be a lot of other reasons for waiting like breakdown, setup change, etc.
Solution:-SMED , TPM
Muda of Transportation: In manufacturing operations, we used to move products from one process to another process due to poor layout.
This extra transportation of material needs extra manpower to transport as well as additional space to store the material hence it increases the higher working capital requirement.
Solution:- Single-piece flow or U-shaped layout.
Muda of Processing:- Sometimes we do extra activities (more than customers' requirements for which Customers don't want to pay). Like burr removing this process is the result of poor quality of tools used for the process.
Solution:- Standardization of the work.
Muda of Inventory:- Traditionally we are trained that Inventory is an asset as per the accounts terminology. Hence we consider it as an asset, not a waste.
Excess inventory is increasing our working capital requirement.
We are in business to convert input material into finished goods in the shortest time. This can be only done with less inventory. Hence the lesser the inventory, the lesser the working capital requirement and the more profit.
Solution:- KANBAN, SUPERMARKET SYSTEM
Muda of Motion:- Our traditional workplaces are not designed ergonomically which creates unnecessary fatigue for the working staff or operators. This fatigue leads to poor productivity.
Solution:- 5S. Workplace layout.
Muda of making Defects:- Our traditional workplaces are not designed to stop when any nonconformity occurs in the equipment. This leads to more money spent on correcting the defective parts.
Solution:- Taguchi Method, 7 QC Tools, and other problem-solving tools like 6 Sigma, Design of Thinking, etc.
Four Principles of Movement
Shorten the Distance:- When the distance traveled is more means we are spending more money on unwanted movement of the workforce requirement.
It is also equally applicable to conveyor lengths. The more the conveyor length more powerful the gearbox we need, more electric energy it will need which will increase the operational expenses (Working capital). It will also need the extra cost of manufacturing like a higher length of conveyor more space and more steel it will require.
Use both hands:- When we design a workplace where only the activity of a single hand is required then we are utilizing only 50% human potential. You can compare the speed of typing when the person operates with only a single finger of one hand with a person who operates with all fingers of both hands.
Reduce non-values -adding movements:- When our work center is designed in such a way that the operator has to move frequently for non-values -adding activities to perform his or her job like searching, bending, or twisting due to poor ergonomic design of the work center.
Make it easier:- When the operations are difficult to perform then we need skilled operators. The productivity of such operation changes with the emotions of the operators, it's very difficult to get consistence productivity in these highly skilled jobs. Hence if we deskill these operations and make them easier to operate then increasing productivity becomes easy for us.
5S
5S is recognized as a starting point of lean since it identifies muda in material handling, physical movement, and any other logistics operations by the operators. Thus, it can be said that the lean operation starts in Gemba (Where actual value additions are happening) with 5S and ends with 5S. The disciplined Shop floor starts with 5S and ends with 5S as per MASAAKI IMAI in his book STRATEGIC KAIZEN.
1S — Seiri:- Means sorting the things between wanted and unwanted.
The unwanted items should be sent to the red tag area.
The Good 1S ( SEIRI- SORTING) leads to space saving.
If we are not saving the space by the 1-S- SEIRI then we are doing something else, not the 1S.
2-S Seiton (Arranging):- After doing the activity of 1S ( SEIRI- SORTING), it's considered that we have removed unwanted things from our workplace.
Now the only things available are wanted material, the question here is whether the items available here are wanted, and at what frequency it will be used during the work.
To arrange all available items we need the shadow boards that guide us when the items that we have arranged are available or not at the right place and right quantity.
The better 2S reduces search time.
3-S — Seiso (Cleaning):- Here we generally use the word cleaning with meaning.
The meaning of cleaning here is not just wiping, It is done to identify the abnormality of the machines like loose bolts, wornour belts, pulley, sprockets, oil levels, etc.
The better 3-S reduces the minor stoppage of the equipment.
4- S- Seiketsu (Standardization):- Standard work means the best, most efficient, and safest ways to conduct the work.
The standard means the list of control points to maintain a smooth, continual, and Swift flow of operations.
5-S- Shitsuke (Sustenance):- To sustain the improvement we need to practice P-D-C-A & S-D-C-A.
Plan
Do
Check
Act
Standardization
Do
Check
Act
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