{"id":70104,"date":"2022-06-21T15:18:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-21T19:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=70104"},"modified":"2022-06-29T10:50:36","modified_gmt":"2022-06-29T14:50:36","slug":"kaizen-the-toyota-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/kaizen-the-toyota-way\/","title":{"rendered":"Kaizen: The Toyota Way’s Most Important Principle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What does “kaizen” mean? Why is it one of the pillars of the Toyota Way<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In The Toyota Way<\/em>, kaizen is described as continuous improvement. Author Jeffrey Liker says kaizen improves Toyota’s operations at both the modeling stage and the implementation stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s more on the concept of kaizen in The Toyota Way<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Toyota’s Approach to Kaizen<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At the heart of Toyota\u2019s approach to efficiency is the concept of kaizen<\/em>. The Toyota Way<\/em> describes kaizen <\/em>as small, incremental improvements in speed and quality that over time add up to large gains. Many assembly line processes are repeated thousands of times a day, so a reduction of even a few seconds for each repetition adds up quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toyota\u2019s approach to kaizen<\/em> involves two stages: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. A modeling stage<\/strong>, in which you sketch out the stages of the manufacturing process, identify wastes, and calculate production timeframes. This stage is relatively short.<\/li>
  2. A practical implementation stage<\/strong>, in which you test and refine the improvements identified in the modeling stage. This stage is detailed, iterative, and ongoing. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    We’ll introduce the theoretical tools that Toyota uses to model assembly line processes. We\u2019ll then talk about how Toyota workers implement these processes and experiment with them on the shop floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Modeling Stage<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    As Liker explains in The Toyota Way<\/em>, kaizen is instrumental in the production line. Toyota models its production line as a \u201cpull system\u201d: a system in which customer demand for a product<\/a> \u201cpulls\u201d the product through the assembly line<\/strong>. One example of a typical pull system is a restaurant: A customer order for a particular dish sets in motion the processes needed to produce the dish. This contrasts with more traditional \u201cpush systems,\u201d in which a manufacturer produces a set number of products and sends them out to be sold, regardless of whether the retailer already has the item in stock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Toyota also uses pull systems to move work in progress from station to station. When workers involved in downstream processes are ready for more parts, they use signals (kanban<\/em>) to communicate this to upstream workers. Kanban<\/em> can be as complex as a digital signal or as simple as returning an empty bin to be filled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The \u201cvalue stream\u201d is the sequence of actions in the assembly line that add value for the customer<\/strong>. Everything else is seen as waste. Liker explains that Toyota uses value stream mapping<\/a> to identify which parts of the process add value and which can be minimized or eliminated. To map the value stream, team members draw a box for each workstation in the assembly line. They then go and look at what happens between each process and make notes regarding the transitions between workstations. Are parts transported long distances? Do they wait in queues? Are the workers moving efficiently? They record all of this information in the gaps between the boxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    One-piece flow is a depiction of the perfect value stream<\/strong>. In one-piece flow, products move through the plant undergoing only processes that add value, with no wasted time or materials. One-piece flow is the opposite of traditional \u201cbatch and queue\u201d manufacturing practices, in which large quantities of parts are produced well ahead of time and then sit in queues waiting to be processed. One-piece flow is also called a \u201cjust-in-time\u201d<\/strong> system, as each workstation receives the parts just in time to work on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Seven Wastes<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Value stream mapping allows you to pinpoint wastes. Liker lists seven types of waste:<\/p>\n\n\n\n