npi
Kaizen is one of the main tools of lean manufacturing and while at Fluke, I participated in 12 and led 5. In this kaizen, a week was dedicated to reducing the lead time of products coming out of the highest running cell in our factory. This cell had major issues with its test station, but the station could not be redone due to budget. My team's task was to figure out a way to reduce lead time without any major changes to the testing.
I led a team through kaizen training, day-to-day activities and sustainment of the kaizen. We were able to identify a large amount of wastes and then used a priority matrix to determine which improvements could be completed successfully. It was then important to delegate tasks based on skill and knowledge base.
One of the biggest wins was automating a specific part of the testing procedure. Pre kaizen, the operator had to sit in front of the product and press buttons at a variety of prompts. This meant they had to be present and waiting. We were able to create a machine that pressed the various buttons for them which allowed the operator to plug the machine into a fixture and walk away -- they could then begin production of the next unit.
After the kaizen, I made it a priority to follow up on any remaining tasks and to track the outcome of the KPI. In this way, any issues could be resolved in order to maximize the results of the kaizen.
Kaizens were my absolute favorite part of my job. Though they were difficult and time consuming, it was so rewarding to see changes implemented that led to immediate improvements. It was also gratifying to connect with the operators of a cell and understand their process and concerns. Developing improvements to address their pain points helped them feel heard, more engaged in their work and made it easier for them to do their jobs.
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