Lean Manufacturing and Kaizen

Abstract

This chapter answers the questions: What is lean manufacturing? What is Kaizen? This chapter covers a brief description of lean manufacturing foundations, its main principles and wastes, and also the benefits companies can reach with the implementation of lean manufacturing best practices, grounded on several surveys reported in literature to analyse the impact of lean manufacturing on performance. The chapter also describes the Kaizen philosophy reflecting the concern with a continuous improvement culture, where strategic areas of generic continuous improvement behaviours are enhanced. The kaizen philosophy is also presented as an innovation driver. Moreover, the main characteristics of kaizen, the kaizen events, the requirements for continuous improvement success and a set of behavioural routines critical for long-term success with continuous improvement and development over time are offered too.