Kaizen is a Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement of processes in manufacturing, engineering, and business management. It originated with Toyota in the 1950s and was popularized in the Western world by Masaaki Imai in the 1980s and 1990s. Kaizen focuses on continual small improvements through standardized work and identifying and addressing problems to minimize waste and costs, increase safety and efficiency, and improve customer satisfaction. When implemented successfully, kaizen results in major benefits to businesses through faster delivery, lower costs, and greater customer satisfaction.

1. KaizenBy Tom Fitzenberger
Kaizen is a Japanese word that means “change” and “good”
In the English language it means “change for the better”

2. Sakichi Toyota: founder of Toyota

3. History of Kaizen
• The story of the Kaizen miracle started in the 1930s.
Sakichi Toyoda - Inventor, founder of Toyota, at the time was manufacturing
automatic looms.
• In 1950 Toyota implemented quality circles leading to the development of Toyota’s
unique “Toyota Production System”. Toyota System is a system of continuous
improvement in quality, technology, processes, company culture, productivity, safety
and leadership
http://qualitiamo.com/en/improving/kaizen/history.html

4. Sakichi Toyoda’s Automatic Loom

5. History of Kaizen
• In 1986 Masaaki Imai introduced to the Western world the Japanese term Kaizen and
made it famous through his book, Kaizen: The Key to Japan's Competitive Success.
Translated in fourteen languages, Kaizen became a fad the world over.
• In 1997 Imai introduced an evolved form of Kaizen in his book Gemba Kaizen: A
Commonsense, Low-Cost Approach to Management, to reassert the importance of the
shop floor in bringing about continual improvement in an organization. In essence, that
translates into something of a corporate 'back to basics' philosophy. Gemba is where the
product is actually manufactured, which could mean the assembly line in a
manufacturing plant or the place where employees interact with customers in the service
sector. It is "the place where the real work is done", as Imai likes to put it.
http://qualitiamo.com/en/improving/kaizen/history.html

6. What is Kaizen in manufacturing?
• These continual small improvements add up to major
benefits. They result, for example, in: faster delivery, lower
costs, and greater customer satisfaction.
• Kaizen is focused on worker safety, time per task, and
minimizing manufacturing waste.

7. • Standardized Work
• Make Problems Visible
• Develop Countermeasure
• Determine Root Cause
• Hypothesize Solution
• Test Hypothesis
• Implement Solution
Continuous
Improvement

9. Companies that use Kaizen today

12. Thank you