KAIZEN? Transformation In Automotive Industry - Irreversibly Sustainable Process Excellence

The automotive original equipment manufacturing (OEM) industry provides millions of jobs and creates economic growth in various countries. To excel in this industry, companies need to focus on continuous improvement, or KAIZEN?, which was made famous by Masaaki Imai. (Besides this, the industry has been influenced by the work of Taichi Ohno and Shigeo Shingo, who were instrumental in developing the Toyota Production System (TPS) and the concept of Lean Manufacturing.)

KAIZEN? emphasizes the importance of involving ALL employees in the improvement process and creating a culture of continuous improvement. Its implementation starts at the board level and requires the commitment and involvement of senior leadership to be truly effective.

• Responsibility for implementation does not lie solely with the employees. In reality, KAIZEN? implementation starts at the board level and requires the commitment and involvement of senior leadership to be truly effective.
• It means that the board must be involved in implementing, implementing, and monitoring KAIZEN? initiatives. They must set clear goals and objectives and monitor progress to ensure the organization moves in the right direction.

Legendary automotive organizations have adopted the KAIZEN? way of benefitting from an irreversible culture of excellence. For instance,

1. Toyota, one of the leading automotive manufacturers in the world, is known for its commitment to continuous improvement through KAIZEN?. Toyota's senior leadership is actively involved in the planning and implementing KAIZEN? initiatives, and they promote a culture of continuous improvement throughout the organization.
2. Similarly, Nissan, another leading automotive manufacturer, has also embraced KAIZEN? as a key strategy for improving its operations. Nissan's senior leadership has set clear goals and objectives for KAIZEN?, and they provide the necessary resources and support to make it a success. Nissan has significantly improved quality, productivity, and efficiency by doing so.
3. Ford is another example of an automotive company successfully implementing KAIZEN? to improve its operations. Ford's senior leadership has emphasized continuous improvement's importance and implemented KAIZEN? in its operations. As a result, Ford has reduced waste, improved quality, and increased efficiency.
4. In the late 1990s, General Motors (GM) implemented a KAIZEN? program called "GM Global Manufacturing System" (GMS) in its manufacturing facilities. Through the program, GM was able to improve quality, reduce waste, and increase productivity.

Closer to home is one of the numerous from India; a case study from a German Car Manufacturer (Chennai, India). They were able to drive productivity up by over 18%, which means their demand which needed to be met, was met with NO additional resources.

?In closing, kindly remember;

• Excellence is not a project! It is a culture.
• Excellence can't be bought or subcontracted. It has to be built
• KAIZEN? means to focus on both improvements and daily management (two sides of the KAIZEN? coin)

Author

Jayanth Murthy, Joint MD - South Asia and Africa at Kaizen Institute

About Author

Jayanth Murthy is a student of KAIZEN? for over 25 years. He continues to support, shape, and grow Kaizen Institute's footprints across Africa and South Asia.

His passion and experience is in supporting organizations to explore, understand and make an informed decision regarding the need and relevance of KAIZEN? for their organizational development.

KAIZEN? and Operational Excellence/ Lean philosophy remain his core domain and he has motivated manufacturing and service organizations across thirty-plus countries to embrace the KAIZEN? Way. In 1991 he established his consulting practice and in the year 2001, he was invited to join Kaizen Institute India as a partner and director. In the year 2005, they expanded to set up Kaizen Institute’s operations in Africa.

He has pioneered KAIZEN? adoption for the Government of Mauritius, Kenya, Tanzania and India and also has the privilege to promote KAIZEN? within the office of the Prime Minister of India. In partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Africa operations support over ten African countries to apply KAIZEN? in the distribution of medical commodities. Jayanth is an Industrial and Production Engineer who also received an AOTS Scholarship in 1996 to study Quality Management at KKC Osaka.

He is a Fulbright Fellow (2005) from Carnegie Mellon University, USA. He is also a recipient of the Monozukuri Jinzai Ambassador Citation from AoTS, Japan Government. LinkedIn: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/jayanthkaizen

To learn more about this transformative process and the associated approach, set up a call by writing to Jayanth Murthy, Joint Managing Director – South Asia and Africa at Kaizen Institute or visit www.kaizen.com.