Continuous improvement is a core concept of Kaizen, with Lean businesses always looking to reduce waste and generally improve operations. But how can companies improve when they are already best-in-class? This is a question that Harmen Dubbelaar, general manager of Hotel Okura Macau, frequently asks himself. According to China Daily, the hotel has a high
Continue reading »Deborah Edwards, a logistics management specialist in the Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command (AMCOM) Competition Management Office (CMO), recently undertook a Lean training course through the Department of the Army. With this knowledge in hand, she hopes to be able to cut through much of the red tape that bogs down the execution
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Business owners and entrepreneurs frequently have big, lofty goals, both company-related and personal. These obviously change from person to person and company to company, but could include the development of new products, reaching a new audience, international expansion or simply becoming an industry leader. While some of these dreams are easier to achieve than others,
Continue reading »Kaizen revolves around the identification and elimination of wastes. By implementing Kaizen, businesses are able to improve production and streamline efficiency, enabling them to achieve the same or better metrics while decreasing or maintaining the costs of production. But what is a waste? Wastes may not be apparent in every business setting, InformIt explains. Even
Continue reading »If manufacturing in the 2000s could be summed up in one-word, it would be “expense.” Companies in North America explored a variety of options to minimize production costs and maximize returns on investments. This resulted in millions of manufacturing jobs being shipped to emerging markets, such as China and India. In fact, a report from
Continue reading »For years, many businesses have questioned whether they can achieve profitability by reducing their carbon footprints. However, given the rise in environmental awareness, more organizations are dealing with terms such as “carbon neutral,” “renewable energy,” “eco-design” and “green” on a daily basis. This is challenging them to think broadly about how they impact the environment
Continue reading »The barriers to leveraging technology are getting smaller and smaller. Hardware and equipment is growing more versatile and at less cost, which means any business can afford devices such as computers and smartphones. Additionally, communication channels such as the internet are also evolving, with users able to communicate in real-time and download information instantly. Finally,
Continue reading »The East African country of Tanzania is planning to kickstart national economic development by using Kaizen to enhance its manufacturing sector, the Daily News reports. Joyce Mapunjo, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Industry and Trade, recently noted that Tanzania is already reaping the benefits of Lean healthcare and has successfully integrated Kaizen into its
Continue reading »Heathrow, the United Kingdom's largest airport, is utilizing Kaizen to maximize efficiency and improve the general traveling experience. Colin Matthews, chief executive of Heathrow, spent many of his business years at an auto manufacturer in Japan, where he first learned about Kaizen integration. In particular, he is fond of the notion of continuous improvement. “I
Continue reading »The police department that governs Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, has turned to Kaizen practices and philosophies as a way to crack down on wasteful processes and procedures that cause the unit to run over budget and out of time. More than 17 employees of the General Directorate of Abu
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