The Art of Kanban - Creative Safety Supply April 2014 | Page 5

The Art of Kanban
When these companies ask for suggestions they expect, and get them on
every aspect of their business. Someone working on the production line may
have a marketing idea or someone in marketing a production idea. The ideas
are not limited to big changes; they can be little improvements that help how
the business runs overall. In America we tend to run our lives in a mentality of
“do not fix what isn’t broken” whereas the Kaizen system is based on the idea
of “doing things better, improving even if it is not broken so that we can
compete with those who do.”

The Japanese apply this concept to all aspects of their lives, even in social
situations. This is in part why they have been so successful in manufacturing
and other business ventures. If you set high standards and allow every
employee to help improve those standards the odds of success are in your
favor.
Another concept borrowed from the Japanese and integrated in Kaizen is the
Five S program. The Five S’s are simple and common sense principles to
running a business. By using them you can provide your employees with an
effective system that maintains cleanliness, visual order, organization, and
standardization to the business production lines. This will improve your
business while also empower your employees to be more efficient and to pay
close attention to service and safety. Those things combined will lead to an
overall better work environment and increase in profits.

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