What is Kaizen and why is it so important
to Koito Europe Ltd.?
Wikipedia, the online Encylopedia, describes Kaizen as follows:
Kaizen (改善, Japanese for "change for the better" or "improvement", the English translation is "continuous improvement", or "continual improvement.") is an approach to productivity improvement. The development of Kaizen went hand-in-hand with that of quality control circles, but it was not limited to quality assurance.
The goals of Kaizen include the elimination of waste (defined as "activities that add cost but do not add value"), just-in-time delivery, production load leveling of amount and types, standardized work, paced moving lines, right-sized equipment, etc. A closer definition of the Japanese usage of Kaizen is "to take it apart and put back together in a better way." What is taken apart is usually a process, system, product, or service.
Kaizen is a daily activity whose purpose goes beyond improvement. It is also a process that, when done correctly, humanizes the workplace, eliminates hard work (both mental and physical), and teaches people how to do rapid experiments using the scientific method and how to learn to see and eliminate waste in business processes.
Given Kaizen's Japanese origin and the nature of its meaning, it isn't difficult to see why Kaizen is so important to Koito Europe Ltd.
Kaizen is a working philosophy that makes Koito Europe Ltd. a company that is serious about producing quality products and means to keep improving standards to meet the demands of the customer. |