Product Details

The definitive, fully up-to-date guide to continuous improvement in the workplace

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.

"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, best-selling 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.

Gemba Kaizen, Second Edition is the long-awaited, thorough update of the definitive work that applies the Japanese business philosophy of continuous improvement and process innovation, kaizen, to the critical area of business performance where key transactions take place, the gemba. The result is a streamlined approach to realizing cost-effective, incremental improvements in your most crucial business processes.

Written by the renowned quality management expert who introduced the concept of kaizen to the English-speaking world, this innovative guide is filled with hundreds of international gemba kaizen success stories and examples from a wide range of industries. These examples illustrate how to reduce costs, improve quality, and increase customer satisfaction.

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

Table of contents

Foreword: Kaizen by Everyone, Everyday, Everywhere
Ch 1 Kaizen as a Complete Management System
Ch 2 Gemba Kaizen
--Case 1: Gemba Kaizen at a Farm in Africa
Ch 3 How to Sustain Continuous Improvement
Ch 4 Continuously Improving SQDC at the Gemba
--Case 2: Measuring the Right Things
Ch 5 Standards
--Case 3: Oil Platform Maintenance
--Case 4: SCDA
Ch 6 5S
--Case 5: The True Meaning of 5S
--Case 6: Simple Improvements, Big Impact in Healthcare
--Case 7: 5S of Information (IT)
Ch 7 Muda, Muri, Mura
--Case 8: MTN: Muda Free Nations (Kaizen in Government)
--Case 9: Removing Overburden (Muri) from Work
--Case 10: Supply Chain Variation (Mura) Reduction
Ch 8 SUPPORT Kaizen: The Foundation of House of Gemba
--Case 11: Support Kaizen at European Hypermarket
--Case 12: Top Management Support through Hoshin Kanri
--Case 13: Organization Design and Gemba
Ch 9 Visual Management
--Case 14: Industrial Company
--Case 15: Making Knowledge Work Visible
Ch 10 Speaking with and Managing by Facts
--Case 16: What Leaders Learn When they Go See
--Case 17: Linking the Daily to the Strategic
Ch 11 Daily Kaizen & Front Line Management
Ch 12 The Roles of Natural Teams in Gemba Kaizen
--Case 18: Electronics Supplier in China
--Case 19: Middle East Retail Chain
Ch 13 TPS – The Ultimate Production System
--Case 20: Toyota Retired Executive Interview
--Case 21: Toyota Supplier Story
Ch 14 JIT/ Total Flow Management
--Case 22: Automotive Company in Europe
--Case 23: Just in Time in a Bakery
--Case 24: Total Flow through a Retail Co.
Ch 15 Project Kaizen and End-to-End Optimization
--Case 25: Group Health Value Stream Transformation
--Case 26: Bank of New Zealand
--Case 27: Lean Development (Construction)
Ch 16: Continuous Improvement as a Strategic Weapon
--Case 28: Retail – Top Line Growth
--Case 29: Ski Lodge in Italy – Customer Experience Design
--Case 30: Keeping Manufacturing in the US
Afterword

Author comments

More than any other business authority in the world, Masaaki Imai has championed the concept of kaizen over the past three decades in thought, word, and action. He is considered one of the leaders of the quality movement and a pioneer of modern business operational excellence. Mr. Imai is an international lecturer, consultant, and founder of the Kaizen Institute, a leading continuous improvement consultancy with offices worldwide. Mr. Imai's first book, Kaizen--translated into 14 languages--is the authoritative reference on the subject. In 2010 he was honored for his lifetime of achievement with the first ever Fellowship of Quality Council of India.