Written by Masaaki Imai, the renowned quality management expert who introduced the concept of kaizen to the English-speaking world, this innovative guide is filled with hundreds of international gemba kaizen success stories and examples from a wide range of industries. These examples illustrate how to reduce costs, improve quality, and increase customer satisfaction.
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Gemba Kaizen, Second Edition (McGraw-Hill, 2012) is an in-depth revision of Imai’s best-selling work explaining how to implement cost-effective, incremental improvements in the most critical business processes. The methods reveal that when management focuses on kaizen (i.e., incremental, continuous improvement) in the gemba (the work site), unique opportunities can be discovered for increasing the success and profitability of any organization.
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 Ltd., 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 (waste) at Sunclipse, an industrial packaging distributor in the United States
• Manage quality improvement by total workforce involvement at Xuji Group, an electrical manufacturer in China
• Implement gemba kaizen at many other companies worldwide
This comprehensive resource also 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 nonvalue-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
Praise for this book
“An updated version of a classic book that shares a wealth of new health-care examples and case studies from around the world. The methods in this book will help you improve quality and safety, reduce waiting times, and improve the long-term financial position of your organization. Highly recommended.”
—Mark Graban, author of Lean Hospitals (Productivity Press, 2008) and co-author of Healthcare Kaizen
“Every business faces the iron triangle of quality, cost, and delivery. Conventional thinking claims you cannot have all three. Not only does Mr. Imai turn that thinking on its head, but he shows you exactly how to do it."
—Matthew E. May, author of The Elegant Solution (Free Press, 2006) and The Laws of Subtraction
"Masaaki Imai has done it again. The second edition of his famous book not only describes all the tools necessary for any type of business to implement a lean strategy but also includes a large number of excellent case studies."
—Art Byrne, author of The Lean Turnaround (McGraw-Hill, 2012)
Contents
Kaizen as a Complete Management System
Gemba Kaizen
How to Sustain Continuous Improvement
Continuously Improving SQDC at the Gemba
Standards
5S
Muda, Muri, Mura
SUPPORT Kaizen: The Foundation of House of Gemba
Visual Management
Speaking with and Managing by Facts
Daily Kaizen and Front Line Management
The Roles of Natural Teams in Gemba Kaizen
TPS—The Ultimate Production System
JIT/Total Flow Management
Project Kaizen and End-to-End Optimization
Continuous Improvement as a Strategic Weapon
About Masaaki Imai
More than any other business authority in the world, Masaaki Imai has championed the concept of kaizen during the past three decades in thought, word, and action. He is considered one of the leaders of the quality movement and a pioneer of modern business operational excellence. Imai is an international lecturer, consultant, and founder of the Kaizen Institute, a leading continuous improvement consultancy with offices worldwide. Imai's first book, Kaizen—translated into 14 languages—is the authoritative reference on the subject. In 2010 he was honored for his lifetime of achievement with the first ever Fellowship of Quality Council of India.
See “An Interview with Masaaki Imai” from the June 1997 issue of Quality Digest.
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