Continuous Improvement

Being Excellent is just no longer good enough!

Who was excellent yesterday can be out of date tomorrow…Because ‘excellence’ is improving every day!

It is our challenge to become excellent in improving.
Only those who can improve faster than the changing environment, can become excellent and stay excellent!
This site wants to give you find answers HOW.

Who remembers the companies, described as ‘Excellent’in 1982?

Without a solid Continuous Improvement Program, success is a temporary situation…  

Continuous Improvement Programs

Monozukuri

The “art, science and craft of making things.” It It encompasses the technical and social aspects of a production system and takes a systemic approach to continuously improve both technical and social aspects. It was setup in 1998, by the Japanese Prime Minister’s Office.

World Class Manufacturing

First used by Richard Schönberger in 1986. attempting to theoretically combine several earlier improvement strategies.
Its core lies in the idea that all the earlier mentioned approaches should be united and performance should be achieved through quality, reliability flow and cost improvement.

Toyota Production System

Toyota’s way to handle productivity in their automotive plants and its suppliers.
The Japanese source for ‘lean manufacturing’.
Its core lies in creating balance and harmony in every element of the (production) system.

Lean Manufacturing

Initially ‘invented’ by Prof. Womack (US) and Prof. Jones (UK) based on their observations in the automotive industries. Basically it is a Western ‘translation’ of the Toyota Production System.
Its core lies in the creation of flow in the value stream. 

Total Productive Manufacturing

JIPM’s (Japan Institute for Plant Maintenance) structured approach of the shopfloor in 4 (later 8) Pillars.
Its core lies in the total reliability and availability of the equipment in the factory. In later versions also process improvement (flow) was added. Can be considered as one of the basics of TPS. 

Six Sigma

Originates from the US based Motorola en was further developed and applied by General Electric.
Its core lies in the elimination of deviation in quality of output.

Shingo

The Shingo Model introduces the 10 Shingo Guiding Principles on which to anchor improvement initiatives. It aims to fills the gaps in the current state towards ideal results and organizational excellence. It is being maintained by the Jon Huntsman School of Business in Utah.

Shingijutsu

Shingijutsu was formed in 1987 in Nagoya by Yoshiki Iwata, who was an original member of the Toyota Autonomous Study Group that first developed Toyota’s lean production practices (the Kaizen system). Shingijutsu promotes this Kaizen system, which is briefly described here.

20 Keys of Kobayashi

The 20 Keys are practical and synergistically integrated focus areas which aim for strengthening an organisation’s continuous operations improvement capability; in people, processes, and the productive use of technology, founded by Japanese engineer, prof. Iwao Kobayashi, in 1982.

Business Process Reengineering

Michael Hammers’ (US) answer to complexity in business processes.
Based on eliminating complexity and applying automation.
Its core lies in fundamental change of business processes.

European Foundation Quality Management

Classical Western non prescriptive model based on nine criteria.
Its core lies in assessing an organisation’s progress towards excellence, looking at Results, Approach, Deployment, Assessment and Review.

Team members making a makigami analysis

Makigami Systememic Process Improvement

Whether it is a conversion process, a product development- or a supply-chain process: With Makigami you will find a way to halve the lead-time, double the value etc. This is your programm for focussed- and fundamental business improvement.

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