When we look at Lean organizations from a distance, we often only see what meets the eye. We are maybe able to identify their 5S efforts, their kanban system, and can see their TPM boards. And maybe we’re impressed. But what we don’t see is what’s below the surface. What improvements are they actually making? Let’s not forget, most Lean systems are systems that set (visual) standards enabling proper management. But the real tough question is not so much whether a company has such systems, and whether they are sticking to them, but what they do with them. What I always find the most interesting, is what comes out of these Lean systems. What happens on a shift and daily basis with the observations that can be made using these Lean systems? How is “everyone, every day, everywhere”- improvement made a reality? This is the question of Kaizen Teian or the employee-involved proposal system.
(more…)
