The company in this example manufactured a wide variety of commercial and home water purification products. Some were quite simple, others fairly complex. A wide variety of injection-molded parts were made onsite.

Over the previous several years, the company had initiated over 150 Kaizen Blitz'. Many of their cells and small production lines seemed well designed and effective.

Team development, Total Quality, Setup Reduction, Lean Scheduling, inventory reduction, and overall layout planning had been ignored. The results:

• Good Productivity Within Cells

• High Inventories

• Complex Material Flows External To Cells

• Messy, Fragmented Storage Areas

• Quality Problems

In addition, many people in the organization were frustrated with the constant pressure for instantaneous results, the lack of important fundamental changes, and the diminishing returns from each subsequent Blitz.

The executive who promoted the overuse of the Blitz had recently departed. A Strategos consultant then conducted a 2-day seminar, Facility Design for Lean Manufacturing. The intent was to rationalize the macro-layout.

During this seminar, the managerial team also  began to think through their Manufacturing Strategy. They began to develop the fundamental skills and knowledge that would eventually lead to a highly successful manufacturing operation.

Other Examples

Is The Kaizen Blitz Right For You?

When Kaizen Raplaces Strategy

 Kaizen & One Piece Flow

Rationalized Workcell Design 

Workcell Design Seminar