Kaizen

A German study from the ifaa-trendbarometer shows that approximately 80 % of the interviewed experts assign the “Continuous Improvement Process” (CIP) a high or very high priority for the success in the “shop floor” [1]. The sustainable implementation of the CIP into an existing production system and the continuous use of CIP in daily business are associated with multifarious problems. This presents a major challenge for many companies in their operational production management. The following case study introduces a planning model, which considers the usual practical problems and helps for an appropriate approach in three phases to the CIP.

This study shows the interplay of culture development and the implementation of a new production system based on the principles of Kaizen and Total Productive Maintenance of a Business Unit of a German medium sized company. The analysis of the strategic reorganization highlights the importance of management sensitivity in regard to the cultural dimension of organizational change. The paper sheds light on the activities that put strategic change into practice.