Kaizen

Our Engineering team underwent Kaizen training to better equip themselves on the Kaizen concept, its benefits, and how to apply it for work. Kaizen is a Japanese term for continuous improvement. Kaizen is about identifying the problem, developing a solution, and implementing it. Centred on the Kaizen concept is teamwork and taking small and incremental steps over a period to improve efficiency and effectiveness in work processes.

After completing their training, our technical specialists were spilt into eight teams and given two months to brainstorm and implement a Kaizen project. The top team would receive $2,000, while the first runner-up and second runner-up would receive $1,000 and $500 respectively.??

In true Kaizen spirit, the winning team led by Engineering Supervisor Dav Ng initiated to implement a number tagging system and wheel chock holders at selected workshop bays. The wheel chock holders were created using recyclable materials as part of their sustainability efforts. This led to an increased sense of ownership amongst our technical specialists while enhancing safety and efficiency.

The team headed by Senior Engineering Executive Salahuddin Bin Mohd Hussin came in second with a simplified Parts Inventory Management System for the engineering store. Previously, bus parts were stored in different racks and labelled in codes. Their solution was to store parts based on the bus model with labels that are closely aligned to the bus sub-systems. A floor plan indicating the rack positions is also included at the entrance for easy navigation around the store. Their solution improved productivity by minimising the time spent on retrieving parts.

Senior Engineering Supervisor Syahrul Ramdhan Bin Salim and his team clinched third place with their project to build a suitable protection cover for the hydraulic press machine. Previously, the protective acrylic cover would need to be removed when placing components of irregular size on the hydraulic pressing machine, which posed as a safety hazard for the user. The team proposed to build a larger acrylic cover that can accommodate large components, including an additional cutoff switch, to ensure a safe environment for technicians to perform their work.

Congratulations to the winning teams. Boosted with experience and confidence, our engineering colleagues will continue their efforts to achieve efficiency and productivity through Kaizen.