1.

Kaizen Basics
1.1 The Meaning of Kaizen.
Kaizen is a Japanese philosophy for improvement that can be traced to the meaning of the
Japanese words ‘Kai’ and ‘Zen’, which translate roughly into:
‘Kai’ - change, alter ‘Zen’ - better, right
The above two words combine to mean “change for better” or “Continuous improvement.”
Kaizen means improvement, continuous improvement involving everyone in the organization
from top management, to managers then to supervisors, and to workers. It is a philosophy of
never being satisfied with what was accomplished last week, last year or last time.
1.2 The Three Pillars of Kaizen
Kaizen is crucial for any sector because factories and organizations of any sector are like
living organisms. The healthiest organisms move and change in a flexible manner in
accordance with their environment.
In general Kaizen is indispensable to:
 Make optimal use of peoples’ skills
 Reduce overall cost
 Maintain high quality (or improve quality)
 Reduce or eliminate wastes (MUDA)
 Improve productivity
 Improve Safety
 Shorten lead time & improve delivery time
 Improve space utilization etc
 The three pillars of Kaizen are:
1) As a philosophy
2) Kaizen systems
3) Kaizen tools
Kaizen as a Philosophy
Kaizen as a philosophy is built-in and run through guiding principles. These guiding
principles can be summarized as follows.

Characteristics of Kaizen
 Continuity: Kaizen is a dynamic activity in revolving cycles of PDCA (Plan, Do, Check
and Act). Once a new improvement becomes a new standard, the next cycle is set up to
seek further improvement. Kaizen is a continuous challenge towards ever higher-level
improvement, cycle by cycle, without an end.
 Participatory approach: Kaizen is built in and run with an integrated and company-wide
approach through the collaboration of all the levels of the organisation that are top
management, middle managers and front-line employees.
 Accumulation of small Improvement: Japanese people say “accumulation of a small dust
builds a mountain”. Significant and greater results can be attained through accumulation
of small improvements or by carrying out repeatedly minor or small improvements as
opposed to innovation.

 Needs small investment: Waste elimination may not require investment or may require
little investment through the introduction of basic Kaizen technique such as 5S. To
conduct 5S i.e. to sort or separate necessary and unnecessary items , to set or place items
in locations suitable for work and to shine or clean
 Widely Applicable: Kaizen refers to a philosophy or practices that focus upon continuous
improvement in manufacturing activities, business activities, and even life in general,
depending on interpretation and usage. It is widely applicable in manufacturing, service,
public or non-profit organizations and others. Kaizen techniques are now universally
applicable to all sectors.
 Kaizen Systems
Underlying the Kaizen strategy is the recognition that management must seek to satisfy the
customer and serve customer needs if it is to stay in business and make a profit. This Kaizen
strategy has systems that can be applied to realize planned goals and targets.
Kaizen Tools
Kaizen is an umbrella concept that embraces different continuous improvement activities on
an organization as shown in the figure below . There are a large number of related and often
overlapping implementation methods and technical tools that belong to the kaizen Toolkit.
Basing on kaizen philosophy and through following kaizen systems, Kaizen tools bring
continuous improvement.

Fig. Some basic Kaizen techniques.

5S is a systematized approach to standardize work environment of an organization so as to

create a workplace that is more organized, more efficient, safer, cleaner, and more pleasant to
work in, and to maintain it on an on-going basis. It consists of Sort, Set in Order, Shine,
Standardize and Sustain.

Kaizen targets or elements

Productivity: is expressed as the ratio of output to input. A general productivity measure

often used in production control is the quantity or value of products produced per unit time.

Quality: means degree of fulfillment of requirements. In a market economy or where

competition is prevalent, these requirements are ultimately what the customers’ demand of
products or services they want to purchase

Cost: is monetary value of all the inputs to produce a product. In accounting terms, cost
includes cost of labour, cost of materials, and other expenses.
Manufacturing/Service cost = (material + labor + facility + utility + others) cost
The word cost usually refers to cost management, and not cost cutting.
Delivery time: refers to the timely delivery of the volume of products or services to meet the
customer’s needs. On-time product delivery to the customer or adhering to the due date is
critical to achieve customer satisfaction together with quality and cost in a competitive market
environment.
Safety: Kaizen is also used as a methodology for making safety improvements. Safety is the
condition of a “steady state” of an organization or place doing what it is supposed to do. In the
world of everyday affairs, not all goes as planned.
There are nine key sets of actions that you can take to improve safety in your company.
 Mark emergency exits and put up warning signs
 Provide protective clothing and tools
 Raise safety awareness
 Establish safety standards and regulations
 Set up safety committees and patrols
 Ensure facilities and equipment are safe
 Keep accident records
 Set safety targets
 Be prepared to deal with disasters
5S basics
Definition of 5S
5S is a systematized approach to standardize work environment of an organization so as to
create a workplace that is more organized, more efficient, safer, cleaner, and more pleasant to
work in, and to maintain it on an on-going basis. The pillars of 5S are all Japanese words
beginning with the letter S. Since their adoption within Western implementations of lean,
various anglicized versions of the terms have been adopted by different writers and
educators. 5S consists of: (1) Seiri = Sort; (2) Seiton = Set in Order; (3) Seiso = Shine; (4)
Seiketsu = Standardize; (5) Shitsuke = Sustain.

5S represents a starting point of Kaizen, i.e., by establishing and maintaining standardization

of work environment, it provides the basis for future improvements in the operations of the
organization. These five pillars represent a starting point for any company that seeks to be
recognized as a responsible manufacturer eligible for world-class status. On one hand, 5S is
only possible with the participation of the workplace employees. On the other hand, practicing
5S on an ongoing basis results higher motivation and more participatory attitudes at the
workplace, which become the common ground for all Kaizen activities. 5S is practiced in
many countries and translated in many languages as shown below.
The five pillars of 5S
Sort: is the 1st of the five components of 5S. Sort means sorting out necessary and
unnecessary items in the workplace, dispose of the unnecessary and keep only those items
necessary for the current operations of the workplace.
Set in order: is the 2nd of the five components of 5S. Set-in-order means deciding the place
for necessary items, arrange them to keep easy access, and display signs so that they can be
found immediately and returned or replenished properly.
Shine: is the 3rd of the five components of 5S. It means cleaning equipment, facilities and
floor space in the workplace, and ensure that they are in good operating condition.
Standardize: is the 4th pillar of 5S. Standardize means maintain organized and clean
workplaces by making Sort, Set in Order, and Shine activities integrated into everyone's
regular work.
Sustain: is the 5th of the five components of 5S. Sustain means making a self-disciplined habit
of maintaining procedures, rules and arrangements of the organisation.
 Benefits of 5S
The 5S system sounds so simple that people often dismiss its importance. However, the fact
remains that 5S:
 Makes your workplace safer, cleaner and more pleasant place to work.
 Makes your job more satisfying.
 Eliminates overburdens and disappointments.
 Makes it easier to communicate with everyone you work with.
 Gives you an opportunity to give creative input how your work place should be.
 Decreases and makes defects zero that brings higher quality
 Eliminates waste that reduces cost
 Avoids delays and bring reliable delivery
 Increases safety by decreasing accidents
 Increases productivity by decreasing breakdown
 Reduces complaint and brings greater confidence and trust

Stages of 5S implementation
The three stages of implementing 5S are:
 Planning
 Implementation
 Sustaining

Planning
Steps for planning include:
1. Form Kaizen Team organizational structure
2. Recognize current condition
3. Deciding activity range
4. Goal setting
5. Planning stage
6. Budgeting
7. Kick-off

1. Kaizen Team Organizational Structure

The management body or Kaizen core team with a structure similar to this diagram provides
guidance and direction on 5S and company-wide Kaizen activities. Prepare over all 5S or all
Kaizen implementation plan, follow up 5S or Kaizen activities, perform any other 5S or
Kaizen related activities, organize training etc.
2. Recognition of current condition
Purpose Recognize the current condition of workplace and collect information required to
identify problems, and set the direction of activity and goals

Implementation
There are procedures for implementation of each of the pillars of 5S that will be explained in
the following contents. Four factors are important for successful 5S implementation. These
are:
 Continued commitment and support by top management.
 5S starts with education and training.
 There are no observers in 5S, everyone participates.
 Repeat the 5S cycle in order to achieve a higher standard.

Sustaining stage
Different sustaining techniques for 5S, that will be described in the following sections, are
used at this stage. This stage means performing the activities repeatedly and patiently in order
to sustain 5S activity. Success of 5S depends on supervisor’s ability to sustain the gains
acquired from 5S activity.