The Kaizen method brings together several simple principles aimed at continuous improvement, based on the constant small positive changes that can result in more significant growth. According to the method, each employee should continuously question his or her activities and way of working, aiming to optimize them in stages. Considered as a culture rather than a methodology, Kaizen is based on communication and cooperation among the organization members as part of the lean process improvements. It is sometimes said that this Japanese recipe for success is the equivalent of the “lean” approach.
Understanding Kaizen Methodology
Kaizen is based on the philosophical belief that everything can be improved. With this approach, incremental changes add up to significant changes over the longer term, without the need for revolutionary innovation. It can be a much more delicate and more employee friendly way when companies implement the kaizen methods. Kaizen aims for improvements in productivity, efficiency and safety. People who follow this approach often have a number of other benefits, too, including:
Less waste –inventory and employee skills are used more efficiently.
More satisfied people– have a direct impact on the way that processes are done.
Improved retention – satisfied and engaged people are more likely to stay.
Commitment – team members are more inclined to contribute fully in their role.
Problem solving – looking at processes from a solutions perspective allows workers to solve problems continuously.
Teamwork–helping build and strengthen teams that work together to solve problems.
The focus is on small, frequent improvements to existing work processes, generated by all employees at all levels in an organization not just managers and executives. The Kaizen philosophy challenges the statement of “that’s just the way we do things.” Through small changes, it strives to eliminate egos, and waste and instead aims for efficient and standardized processes.
You might wanna check out the article "How Big Data and AI Affect Kaizen".
Toyota Way
You might have heard the term Kaizen in reference to The Toyota Way. So let's first understand what The Toyota Way is.
The Toyota Way is a comprehensive approach to the company's management philosophy, which is based on the two foundational principles of Kaizen (Continuous Improvement) and Respect for People.
So what’s behind The Toyota Way?
The Toyota Way is an organization that has holistically evolved through these key features which are High-Performance Organizations. Such as top-quality leadership, responsibility and commitment of employees, continuous improvement and innovation.
After more than ten years of development, in 2001, right in the middle of a worldwide expansion process, Toyota defined The Toyota Way. The company’s founding values and all lessons learned, failures as well, were integrated into the business model.Firstly in its operations and later in all areas of the organization, from R&D to sales, marketing, finance and HR..
Toyota production system (TPS) is a lean manufacturing system, called "just-in-time production". created by Taiichi Ohno. it builds on the approach created by the founder of Toyota, Sakichi Toyoda, his son Kiichiro Toyoda, and the engineer Taiichi Ohno. (source- wiki) TPS helps in monitoring quantity control to reduce costs by eliminating waste. and enhances the process and product quality.The principles underlying the TPS are embodied in The Toyota Way.
Kaizen tells about Toyota's desire for constant change to reach the better. Considering the logic of Change for the Good, which is Kaizen, rather than big investment-based breakthroughs; with small steps; it provides continuous advancement and change. This contributes to Continuous Improvement.
Conclusion
Transforming your production processes with Kaizen and AI is the exact solution Khenda will provide. We actualize our AI-powered Video Analytics solutions for companies, using Kaizen methods and getting help with artificial intelligence technology. Our technology has been developed so that you can get easier and faster results in the processes of measuring, analyzing and improving manual production lines.
Thanks to its artificial intelligence-based video analysis algorithms, Khenda automatically performs time study operations for you, which takes hours during the day. It analyzes the video taken from the production operation, extracts the cycle time data of each process and records the video. This significantly increases the efficiency and quality of your production and reduces the cost in your plants.
For more information about how Khenda is helping companies transform their Kaizen methods with the power of AI, visit www.khenda.com.
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