Kaizen Events

Kaizen events are typically four day gatherings of a small team of people to address a particular area of concern and are the primary drivers for lean transformations. Area of focus can cover: production and warehousing issues such as cycle time reduction, quality improvement, materials distribution, 5S improvement, ergonomics improvement, workload balancing, preventative maintenance, equipment improvement, inventory reduction, moving line enhancement, layout improvements, and process improvement in “office” areas such as sales, marketing, and finance.

The first day typically consists of understanding the current process and brainstorming improvement ideas. The second and third days involve designing and testing improvements. The fourth day is spent finishing off items, preparing a group presentation, and then presenting the results. There are pieces that cannot be completed in the one week time frame and effective follow-up is a critical component of any kaizen event.

Beyond producing results, kaizen events are also an excellent way to boost morale, help people to learn about other areas, and teach people about lean tools and leadership. Lean places a high value on developing people, who are the number one asset of a company.