Gemba Kaizen

Sinopse

A Commonsense Approach to a Continuous Improvement Strategy

Written by Masaaki Imai, pioneer of modern business operational excellence and founder of the Kaizen Institute, Gemba Kaizen, Second Edition is an in-depth revision of this renowned, bestselling work. The book reveals how to implement cost-effective, incremental improvements in your most critical business processes. Global case studies from a wide range of industries demonstrate how gemba kaizen has been successfully used to:
Maximize capacity and reduce inventory at Unga Limited, one of Kenya’s largest flour-milling operations
Change the IT culture at Achmea, a large European insurance firm
Exceed customer expectations at Walt Disney World in the United States
Improve quality at Inoue Hospital in Japan
Transform retail processes at Sonae MC, Portugal’s largest employer
Practice daily kaizen at Tork Ledervin, a weaving plant in Brazil
Stamp out muda at Sunclipse, an industrial packaging distributor in the United States
Manage quality improvement by total workforce involvement at Xuji Group Corporation, an electrical manufacturer in China
Implement gemba kaizen at many other companies worldwide

To thrive in today’s competitive global economy, organizations need to operate more effectively and profitably than ever before. Developing problem solvers, increasing productivity, improving quality, and reducing waste are essential success factors. Proven strategies for achieving these goals are included in this pioneering guide.

This comprehensive resource offers detailed coverage of important gemba kaizen topics, including:

Quality, cost, and delivery in the gemba
The five steps of workplace organization
Identifying and eliminating muda–any non-value-adding activity
Visual management
Supervisors’ roles in the lean workplace
Gemba managers’ roles and accountability in sustaining high performance
Just-in-time and total flow management
The CEO’s role in leading a kaizen culture

The methods presented in Gemba Kaizen, Second Edition reveal that when management focuses on implementing kaizen (incremental, continuous improvement) in the gemba (the worksite) unique opportunities can be discovered for increasing the success and profitability of any organization.