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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:
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Good Productivity Within Cells
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High Inventories
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Complex Material Flows External To Cells
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Messy, Fragmented Storage Areas
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Quality Problems
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 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 Kaizen Event Examples
Is The Kaizen Blitz Right For
You?
When Kaizen
Replaces Strategy
Kaizen & One Piece Flow
Rationalized Workcell Design
Workcell Design Seminar
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