Principles of kaizen philosophy

In this article we will aim to understand, with small concepts, the importance of eliminating the sources of waste, restrictions and the differences that prevent the achievement of profitability results in a company through this Japanese philosophy that increasingly has a greatest boom in our days in the market leaders of various products.

This Japanese paradigm establishes that something has to be improved every day and that these permanent improvements become, in the long run, a life strategy, a way of life for the good of all, this philosophy works for any class and company level, while there is a search for objectives, both quality and productivity to achieve the expected success.

KAI = Change

ZEN = Good (to improve).

KAIZEN then is a culture and a philosophy of Continuous Improvement. In a common sense, it is to lower the cost by taking advantage of continuous improvement.

Gemba

It means "real place", the place where things happen, the place where value is added. In industry, for example, activities that add value (development, production, sale) to satisfy the customer happen in GEMBA.

Gemba Administration House

What is good administration?

The 3 M'S of Kaizen

1. MUDA: Waste

2. MURI: Restrictions (Irrationality)

3. MURA: Differences (Inconsistency)

Where can the 3 M's of Kaizen be eliminated?

PeopleTechniquesMethodsTimeResourcesInstruments and ToolsMaterialsVolume of ProductionInventoriesPlacesMays of thinking

Main Mudas

Over-production change. Waiting time change. Transportation change. Process change. Inventory change. Activity change. Rework / reject change.

The values

Added value: Changing the fit, shape or function of the material to meet the customer's requirements is something you are willing to pay for. No added value: Activities that add cost but not value to the product (waste).

What is waste?

Anything that takes time, resources or space but does not add value to the product or service delivered to the customer.

The 7 types of waste

1. Waste of Overproduction. It is the worst waste as it is producing more than the customer's requirements, producing unnecessary materials / products. For example:

Produce parts on Monday that will not be shipped to the customer until Friday Produce parts that are not required just because machines and personnel are available.

2. Waste of Inventory. Maintain or buy unnecessary raw materials, inventory in processes, finished products. For example:

10 days of raw material inventory. A box of 100 parts waiting to be assembled after being machined.

Waste in excess inventory requires extra costs for handling and maintenance, covers operation problems and leads to non-continuous improvement.

The true cost of excess inventory:

Extra costs to maintain Extra costs to store Extra containers Extra handling Extra time Extra time Damages Hidden inventory problems

3. Waste of transportation. Multiple driving, driving delays, unnecessary driving. For example:

Move parts to / from Storage areas Transport of parts from pre-machining stages or to the assembly area.

4. Waste of waiting. Time delays, idle time (time that does not add value). For example:

Waiting for raw materials to be delivered Waiting for a machine to finish its cycle.

5. Waste of Movement. It is understood that:

Any time not spent adding value to the product should be eliminated as much as possible. Movement does not necessarily indicate that the work has added value.

A good tip here would be "Eliminate waste… reduce incidental work."

6. Waste of over-processing. Unnecessary processing in steps, items / procedures (non-value-adding work). For example, in an automotive plant:

Painting the interior of a seat that is covered with fabric when the customer never sees the interior. Inspection, washing, adjustment, surface finish, among others.

7. Waste of correction. It is to produce a part that goes to waste or needs to be reworked. For example:

Discard parts that failed the final inspection Repair a hole that is out of size.

Definition of Techniques

Mapping the Value Chain (MCV). It is a pencil and paper tool that helps to see and understand the flow of materials and information of a product throughout its value chain. This Value Chain is all the actions (those that add and those that do not add value) currently necessary to bring a product through its two essential flows: The production flow from raw materials to the customer's hands and the flow design from concept to launch.

Product Family Selection

The customer is interested in your product, not in all the products of the organization. A family is a group of products that go through similar process steps and on common equipment and machines. If the product mix is complicated, a matrix can be created with process steps and equipment on one axis and products on the other.

How does the Value Chain Mapping influence?

Tips for performing a MCV

Collect current information Start with a quick walk in the chain with a door-to-door approach Start, for example, in Orders and end in Receipt. Use a timer and trust only the data you get. Map the value chain yourself.

Teamwork and Communication

The ability to get involved and share to achieve a commitment in each of the team members, convinced that participation through clear, positive communication, and under a climate of trust will allow reaching the objective in a safer, faster way, reliable and effective.

Time and movements study

The art of knowing how to classify all those movements related to the execution of the tasks and the times that correspond to them, in order to simplify those that hinder and encompass the total times.

Analysis of Cycles of Operation Times

It is the detailed classification of the elements that take part in the transformation of a product in a specific operation considering in the same way the times that correspond to each one of them. All this in order to identify which is the real time and which is the critical operation to improve.

Workload

It is the total content of all the work items of an assigned task and the sum of their partial times.

Line Balancing

It is the balancing of all time 'cycle' of an operating process.

Quality system

They are the concepts of the philosophy that support the reliability in the product transformation process and that empower people with the power of decision to evaluate their own quality in the development of their tasks.

Process Flow

It is the most appropriate sequence that must be defined starting from a consecutive logical order of operations.

Area Design

It is the freedom to choose the best distribution and location of material resources and the human element to satisfy a goal.

Inventory in Production Processes

It is the amount of money that it does not produce, it is the risk of product contamination, it is a way to hide the defects of the operation.

Determination of Bottlenecks

It is the way in which the operation with the longest time to be carried out is identified and that hinders the fluidity of a process.

Waste Elimination (MUDAS)

It is the ability to classify all those operations that do add value to the product.

Redesign of Production Goals

It starts after having completed a complete cycle of continuous improvement.

Productivity

It is the constant and persistent use of all resources and the human element under the concept of continuous improvement.

Look at the Worker. Workers are the 'Reflection of the System':

1. Do you produce?

2. Do they move around?

3. Do they carry things?

4. Are they at risk?

5. Do you inspect material?

Seek to link the 7 wastes to the activities you observe in the workers. You will notice more things than you found.

Look at the Current Status of 5'S:

Only things are necessary If they are in order If cleanliness is maintained If improvement activities are carried out If productivity increases.

Management must model by example and walk in the company, it is basic.

Visual Administration. It is the capacity that exists to determine abnormalities such as:

Lack of material, both the basic and the main one. Machines with some fault. Quality throughout the area.

You need to create standards to detect these abnormalities, for example:

Quality The Operator's method Process status / control The status of machines The status / control of deliveries Control of objects

Availability / Absence of Data (in the example of a maquiladora)

Process sequence. Work content in each process and the time required to complete the work. Lot size. Times and duration of stoppages. Transport distances and time. Size of the lot being transported. Inspections and their content, time and duration. frequency of inspections.

How to observe the workplace

Through the Analysis of the Transformation / Information Systems. Both tests should use the 3-Gen principle:

1. In real life (Genjitsu)

2. On site (Genba)

3. With objects in hand (Genbutsu)

The techniques used for observation and analysis allow to identify problems, make improvements and standardize the work, these are in the field of Industrial Engineering.

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