Creative Safety Supply has recently revealed a new product line all about whiteboards! Dry erase boards are an excellent tool for encouraging collaboration between departments and employees. However, one of the best attributes whiteboards hold is the fact that they are most often used as an organizational tool. When we say organization, it isn’t just putting objects back where they were taken from. Organization is standardization. Organization…
Mackenzie Busby | September 8, 2021 | Company Updates | 5S, Continuous Improvement, Facility Efficiency, Healthcare, Kaizen, Kanban, Lean Manufacturing
Gemba walks are a Lean management tool that fits in with many other Lean manufacturing concepts. The focus of a Lean manufacturing system in general is on identifying waste in work processes and eliminating it. That way only things that add value for the customer are performed or included. While a gemba walk can focus on many aspects of processes, it is possible to look for specific types…
CSS Editorial Staff | June 4, 2019 | Gemba, Lean | 5S, Facility Efficiency, Facility Marking, Gemba, Kaizen, Lean, Lean Manufacturing
When it comes to safe and efficient operation of a workplace, most people are used to reading Japanese terms like Kaizen, Gemba, Gembutsu, Kanban, and more. Many companies, however, overlook the term Yokoten, and the many benefits it can bring. Barry Jeffrey posted an interesting article to the LinkedIn Group, “Gemba Academy,” where it generated some interesting discussion and ideas. The article is titled, “The Art of…
Tony Ferraro | December 22, 2016 | Lean | 5S, Gemba, Kaizen, Kanban, Yokoten
Kaikaku is Japanese word that means ‘radical change.’ It is also a business concept that looks at the idea of making radical changes in order to achieve significant improvements. Some people compare it to the Kaizen system, but that is a mistake. While both are options for making changes to a business practice, Kaizen is focused on small, incremental changes. Compare that with Kaikaku, which is for…
Tony Ferraro | July 21, 2016 | Lean | Facility Efficiency, Kaikaku, Kaizen, Six Sigma
Kaizen is a Japanese term for improvement, and is commonly uses as the basis for a methodology that is focused on continuous improvement for businesses. It is most commonly used in warehouse and manufacturing facilities where the goals of eliminating waste and improving efficiency are very important. While Kaizen as a whole is a very high level concept, there are many strategies that are used under the…
Tony Ferraro | June 10, 2016 | Kaizen | 3 G Prinicples, Facility Efficiency, Gemba, Kaizen
When looking to help a facility run more efficiently you will find that there are many ideas and methodologies out there that can help. Two of the most popular (and most effective, when done properly) are 5S and Kaizen. Both of these concepts are quite similar, but there are important distinctions that one should be aware of before implementing either of them. It is important to note…
Tony Ferraro | April 22, 2016 | 5S | 5S, Kaizen
Kaizen Methodology When looking for ways to improve a facility most managers will discover the concept of Kaizen. Kaizen is a Japanese term that means ‘a change for better’ or more commonly said, ‘continuous improvement.’ This is an ideology that has been growing in popularity since it first started back in the 1980’s when Japanese car manufacturers started pushing it forward. Facilities that use the Kaizen methodology…
Tony Ferraro | April 1, 2016 | Kaizen | Kaizen, Lean Manufacturing
Useful Tips to Help Implement PDCA One of the most effective ways to implement changes in a facility is by using the PDCA cycle. PDCA, which stands for Plan Do Check Act is a system that has been used for years by many different types of industries. It is simple enough to use that it doesn’t require too much training, but there are some tips and tricks…
Tony Ferraro | November 17, 2015 | Lean | Continuous Improvement, Facility Efficiency, Gemba, Kaizen, Lean Manufacturing
Implementing Kaizen from My Experience Continuous improvement in the way a facility or entire company works is the heart of Kaizen. While the concept is fairly simple, the implementation can be extremely difficult. Even when companies begin using Kaizen strategies for a time, they often end up losing momentum and falling back into old habits. With years of both direct and indirect experience using the Kaizen philosophy…
Tony Ferraro | October 30, 2015 | Kaizen | Kaizen
Ten Tips to Help You with Your Kaizen Continuous Improvement Strategy The Kaizen methodology encourages ongoing efforts to ensure continuous improvement throughout a facility. This improvement can come in many forms including waste elimination, improved efficiency, safer work environments, and much more. Simply say that a facility is employing Kaizen strategies, is essentially meaningless if you don’t have any concrete action items you are following. Whether you’re…
Tony Ferraro | September 21, 2015 | Kaizen | 5S, 6S, Continuous Improvement, Facility Efficiency, Kaizen, Six Sigma
Lean manufacturing principles have solidified themselves as a successful method of improvement in organizations across the globe. Increasing productivity through waste elimination methods continues to be the golden ticket for many industries, but a separate by-product of Lean is in need of some attention –Green. Organizations everywhere are starting to notice their Lean principles produce a significant impact on their green/environmental performance. In general, environmental impacts are…
CSS Editorial Staff | December 24, 2014 | Lean | 3P, 5S, Kaizen, Kanban, Lean
Should We Quantify All KAIZEN/Lean Efforts from the Shop Floor? Ben Huang, a professional in the midst of implementing Lean techniques into his workplace, has a dilemma. As he related on a LinkedIn group this past week, Lean is apparently going well in his business, but he’s unsure of the extent to which he should be documenting and measuring the process. On the one hand, even small…
Tony Ferraro | December 1, 2014 | Lean | Gemba, Kaizen, Lean, Six Sigma
Is Higher Quality Always Better? You don’t have to be in the business world to feel that, intuitively, that better quality, is, well better. Phrases like “quality over quantity” and “you get what you pay for” drive this point home for just about everyone from a young age, but have we ever stopped to think about cases in which higher quality might not actually be the best…
Tony Ferraro | September 19, 2014 | Lean | Continuous Improvement, Facility Efficiency, Kaizen, Lean Manufacturing
The True Difference Between Kaizen and Kaizen by Inspiration When most companies today talk about Kaizen, they assume that this is just any effort that the company makes to help streamline processes, eliminate waste and hopefully improve profit margins. While that may be accurate in some sense, it is not a complete picture. When Kaizen was first developed within the Toyota Production System, The Kaizen idea was…
Tony Ferraro | June 5, 2014 | Kaizen | Kaizen
LEAN tools and strategies focus on improving production efficiency and reducing waste, both in terms of time and physical inputs. While the term LEAN and the thinking behind it is fairly well-known, there is still a natural (though somewhat perplexing) resistance to change that keeps business owners from implementing these strategies once they’re set in their ways. The reality is that a scientific, LEAN approach is almost…
Tony Ferraro | January 21, 2014 | Lean | 5S, Continuous Improvement, Kaizen, Kanban, Lean Manufacturing
