A Kaizen Based Approach for Cellular Manufacturing System Design:

A Case Study

Joseph C. Chen

John Dugger Bob Hammer

(Kaizen 01)

The Kaizen process acknowledges the information at all levels of an organization through the incorporation of a special type of intense teamwork. In addition, process steps that require seven alternatives force teams to think "outside the box," which often results in major innovations. Finally, the general guidelines are fundamentally sound manufacturing practices, such as "one piece flow" and the elimination of non-value added practices.

When implementing the Kaizen approach, much of the responsibility lies with upper management. Pitfalls include the tendency of upper management to micromanage the teams and a lack of initial training in teamwork effectiveness.

The ability of an organization to respond to the rapidly changing global marketplace will eventually determine the ultimate success of that organization.

The implementation of Kaizen addresses many of the needs that modern organizations face. While Kaizen brings continuous improvement, it also develops a communications network throughout the organization that intrinsically supports a method of checks and balances within daily operations.

The daily trials and tribulations that upper management once confronted on their own are now solved by the workforce, increasing morale and allowing upper management to concentrate efforts on strategic planning.