Gemba Kaizen: A Commonsense Approach to a Continuous Improvement Strategy, Second Edition
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- $26.99
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- $26.99
Publisher Description
The definitive, fully up-to-date guide to continuous improvement in the workplace
"An updated version of a classic book that shares a wealth of new healthcare examples and case studies from around the world. The methods in this book will help you improve quality and safety, reduce waiting times, and improve the long-term financial position of your organization. Highly recommended!" --Mark Graban, author of Lean Hospitals and coauthor of Healthcare Kaizen
"Every business faces the iron triangle of quality, cost, and delivery. Conventional thinking claims you cannot have all three. Not only does Mr. Imai turn that thinking on its head, but he shows you exactly how to do it." -- Matthew E. May, author of The Elegant Solution and The Laws of Subtraction
"Masaaki Imai has done it again. The second edition of his famous book not only describes all the tools necessary for any type of business to implement a lean strategy but also includes a large number of excellent case studies." -- Art Byrne, author of The Lean Turnaround
Written by Masaaki Imai, pioneer of modern business operational excellence and founder of the Kaizen Institute, Gemba Kaizen, Second Edition is an in-depth revision of this renowned, bestselling work. The book reveals how to implement cost-effective, incremental improvements in your most critical business processes. Global case studies from a wide range of industries demonstrate how gemba kaizen has been successfully used to:
Maximize capacity and reduce inventory at Unga Limited, one of Kenya's largest flour-milling operations
Change the IT culture at Achmea, a large European insurance firm
Exceed customer expectations at Walt Disney World in the United States
Improve quality at Inoue Hospital in Japan
Transform retail processes at Sonae MC, Portugal's largest employer
Practice daily kaizen at Tork Ledervin, a weaving plant in Brazil
Stamp out muda at Sunclipse, an industrial packaging distributor in the United States
Manage quality improvement by total workforce involvement at Xuji Group Corporation, an electrical manufacturer in China
Implement gemba kaizen at many other companies worldwide
To thrive in today's competitive global economy, organizations need to operate more effectively and profitably than ever before. Developing problem solvers, increasing productivity, improving quality, and reducing waste are essential success factors. Proven strategies for achieving these goals are included in this pioneering guide.
This comprehensive resource offers detailed coverage of important gemba kaizen topics, including:
Quality, cost, and delivery in the gemba
The five steps of workplace organization
Identifying and eliminating muda--any non-value-adding activity
Visual management
Supervisors' roles in the lean workplace
Gemba managers' roles and accountability in sustaining high performance
Just-in-time and total flow management
The CEO’s role in leading a kaizen culture
The methods presented in Gemba Kaizen, Second Edition reveal that when management focuses on implementing kaizen (incremental, continuous improvement) in the gemba (the worksite) unique opportunities can be discovered for increasing the success and profitability of any organization.
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Rarely can an author take credit for changing the way business works, but Imai did just that in 1986, in his native Japan, when he wrote Kaizen (Japanese for "continuous, incremental improvement"). As a result of that book, thousands of businesses made incremental improvement a daily goal. Here, in this straightforward sequel, Imai shows exactly how kaizen should be implemented. The starting point, he argues, is at the gemba ("the place where the real work is done"). The gemba could be the assembly line in a manufacturing plant, or, at a service company, where employees interact with customers. Wherever it is, though, it is definitely not behind a manager's desk. Imai identifies the three major steps in implementing kaizen at the gemba: pay attention to housekeeping (keeping only your necessary tools nearby); eliminate waste (everything from overproduction to defective quality); and standardize (make sure the improvements in the first two steps are carried on indefinitely). The roles for line workers, managers and chief executives are also detailed here, as are numerous case studies that help bring this thought-provoking book to life.