Here we are going to read about Kaizen methodology and Kaizen examples that are implemented in manufacturing. Given below is the list of few famous companies using Kaizen methodology in their manufacturing processes and procedures.
- Toyota
- Ford Motors
- Lockheed Martin
Kaizen means “improvement”: it is a Japanese terminology used to express any sort of change for improvement in processes. Organizations use this idea and implement it in various processes and procedures in the context of manufacturing, management, production, engineering etc. Kaizen has vast adaptability and it can be implemented in almost all sectors including healthcare, retail, government, banking, and transportation.
Kaizen approach and its implementation is not just limited to commerce but it can be used in life coaching and mentoring programs. In this article, we will highlight the examples of Kaizen implementation within the manufacturing industry. In fact, Toyota is considered as the best example of kaizen implementation. Toyota was the very first manufacturing company to coin the idea of kaizen and to adopt this methodology within its business processesses. The successful implementation of kaizen by various organizations is used as an example by other companies for analyzing its effectiveness in their own case.
Let’s see how the organizations implement Kaizen methodology and continue to use it in their business practices.
Examples of Kaizen implementation
Toyota
Toyota is a well-known Japanese automobile manufacturing company that is said to be responsible for introducing the Kaizen approach. Toyota pioneered the use of Kaizen methods in its processes and proved that it is a quantifiable and efficient approach. It revolves around slow but consistent improvement in procedures and processes while implementing small modifications accordingly. Toyota has applied this methodology for a number of years at all almost every level within the organization.
Ford Motors
Toyota is not the only car manufacturing company to adopt the Kaizen methodology. Ford is also a reputable company that manufactures different automobiles; it applied Kaizen philosophy in 2006 when Alan Mulally became its Chief executive. Like Toyota, Ford also implemented Kaizen at all levels in the organization on continuous basis. After the application of Kaizen, Ford gained many advantages in the automobile industry in a very short span of time. Given below is a list of achievements that Ford company got after the adoption of Kaizen philosophy.
- Overall Improvement in the processes
- Enhancement in the efficiency
- Reduced time in the operations
- Effectiveness in the manufacturing
- Important modifications in the processes
- Improvement in the procedures
- Removal of inconsistency
- Reduced repetition in the processes
In short, the Ford motor company developed a comprehensive setup based on the Kaizen model for the improvement of all processes and procedures. The successful application of Kaizen model by Ford Company is also considered among the great examples of Kaizen implementation. Many companies use these examples to implement the Kaizen for improving their own processes.
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is a renowned company based in the USA. It deals with aerospace, defense, security and advanced technologies. Lockheed Martin has approximately 120000 workers internationally, and it was selected as one of Industry Week’s “Top ten Plants” in 1998. In the phase from 1992 to 1997, the corporation was able to remarkably decrease its costs of manufacturing while lessening their defect rate to 3.4 instances per plane; and also lower their order to delivery time from forty-two months to less than twenty-two. Using kaizen approach to thoroughly apply lean manufacturing, Lockheed Martin was awarded the Shingo Prize for Excellence in 2000. Another noteworthy achievement was in the area of material management, where they were able to decrease the time to move parts from receiving to stock from thirty days to just four hours.
In 2010, Lockheed Martin launched its Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) system. At the same time as they held multiple Kaizen events at their Florida and Alabama plants in order to advance the way that the JAGM is manufactured.