Kaizen Blitz at Business Stationery, LLC

[David Dodd]

AmericanPrinter.com recently reported that Business Stationery, LLC had completed a Lean Kaizen event in March of this year. Business Stationery prints business cards, letterhead, envelopes, postcards, sell sheets, brochures, and other products. The Lean Kaizen event is part of a company wide "Lean Sigma" initiative that is focused on operational control and continuous improvement. "Lean Sigma" combines the concepts and techniques of lean and Six Sigma.

This Lean Kaizen event was a five-day affair. This type of intense kaizen event is often referred to as a "kaizen blitz" and the goal is to make significant improvements in a short period of time. The employee team at Business Stationery spent the first day training on the basic concepts of lean and Six Sigma. The team spent the balance of the week working in the plant to identify opportunities for improvement and to implement changes.

The team worked 10 or more hours each day and identified 50 improvement opportunities. Some improvements could be implemented immediately. Those that could not be completed during the week were assigned to team members for later completion.

This approach can be a very effective way to jump start your lean efforts. It gets your employees involved immediately and enables you to win some early "victories."

[mattf]

Originally Posted by David Dodd

AmericanPrinter.com recently reported that Business Stationery, LLC had completed a Lean Kaizen event in March of this year. Business Stationery prints business cards, letterhead, envelopes, postcards, sell sheets, brochures, and other products. The Lean Kaizen event is part of a company wide "Lean Sigma" initiative that is focused on operational control and continuous improvement. "Lean Sigma" combines the concepts and techniques of lean and Six Sigma.

This Lean Kaizen event was a five-day affair. This type of intense kaizen event is often referred to as a "kaizen blitz" and the goal is to make significant improvements in a short period of time. The employee team at Business Stationery spent the first day training on the basic concepts of lean and Six Sigma. The team spent the balance of the week working in the plant to identify opportunities for improvement and to implement changes.

The team worked 10 or more hours each day and identified 50 improvement opportunities. Some improvements could be implemented immediately. Those that could not be completed during the week were assigned to team members for later completion.

This approach can be a very effective way to jump start your lean efforts. It gets your employees involved immediately and enables you to win some early "victories."

Thanks David, good to hear about companies taking the initiative to find ways to improve the company. Small stuff like that make a big difference. Might not be immediately seen within the companies coffers, but mainly within the mindset of the workers.

A lot of companies at this moment can't even do this type of work, my own company is a great example. We have laid off a lot of people and now run at a skeletal crew. One person missing and we are stressed for time. Of course, lay offs are a common thing within an economic downturn and the issue many face that wish to do these quick kaizan blitzes don't have the time or the manpower to get any of it done. Any recommendations in that area?