JANUARY 2001
Reader Poll:
Is Kaizen the Answer?
by George F. McClure
Kaizen is a Japanese concept that includes total quality
control, continuous process improvement, error-free production, and just-in-time delivery.
Kaizen targets the "Three Evil M’s," muda, mura and muri.
Muda is the Japanese word for waste, for not adding value; muda is seen as
the biggest threat to being competitive. Mura is the inconsistent or irregular use
of a person or machine; while muri is the act of placing excessive demands on
workers or production equipment.
While "management by walking around" gained
recognition in the United States in the 1980s, the Japanese focused on gemba—the
place where the work gets done, where the value is added to complete the process of
development, production or selling. Just-in-time parts delivery cut down on muda in
inventory, and helped focus attention on other problems in production, such as uneven
assembly times at various work stations, that resulted in mura—slack time for
one worker waiting for another worker to complete a task.
The father of the kaizen concept is Masaaki Imai, who
published a book, Kaizen: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success, (1986,
McGraw-Hill). Imai highlighted the futility of managers meeting in a conference room to
solve a problem in the plant, on the assembly line, in the R&D lab, or interfacing
with the customer. "How can they know what is happening? To understand a problem in gemba,
you must go to gemba."
The Kaizen Institute (www.kaizen-institute.com)
was founded by Imai to promote the concept. It encourages a five-day event, called gemba
kaizen, to implement kaizen improvement programs that include cleanliness and order in
the work areas. "They [top management] have to see how much muda [waste] they
have in their plants—and also how much opportunity they have. They have to see it to
believe," Imai says.
We Want to Know: Is kaizen a solution
for American plants? Let us know what you think. Your comments may be used in an upcoming
edition of IEEE-USA Policy Perspectives or IEEE-USA
News & Views, Please send your thoughts to todaysengineer@ieee.org.
Include your name, city and state and membership status.
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George F. McClure is IEEE-USA's Technology Policy
Editor. You can contact him at g.mcclure@ieee.org.
