Keeping You Safe Since 1970

1-888-326-9244

Favorites

Contact

Live Chat

Graphic Products
  • My Account
    No Account? Sign up
    Forgot password?
  • Cart ()
  • Printers & Supplies Printers
    DuraLabel Kodiak

    DuraLabel Kodiak

    Multi-color, large format
    • Supplies
    • Ribbon
    • Accessories
    • Bundles and Kits
    • Kodiak Support
    DuraLabel Toro

    DURALABEL TORO

    Portable, stand-alone
    • Supplies
    • Ribbon
    • Accessories
    • Bundles and Kits
    • Support
    DuraLabel Bronco

    DuraLabel Bronco

    Industrial, efficient
    • Supplies
    • Ribbon
    • Accessories
    • Bundles and Kits
    • Support
    DuraLabel Lobo

    DuraLabel Lobo

    Grab n' go labeler
    • Ribbon & Supplies
    • Accessories
    • Support
    DuraLabel Pro Series

    DuraLabel PRO 300

    Simple and reliable
    • Supplies
    • Ribbon
    • Accessories
    • Bundles and Kits
    • Support
    SHOP ALL PRINTERS
    SHOP ALL PRINTER KITS
    SHOP ALL SUPPLIES
    SHOP ALL RIBBONS
    LABELING SOFTWARE
  • Safety Signs

    Compliance Signs

    • Chemical Signage
    • Confined Space Signs
    • Electrical Hazard Signs
    • Fire Signage
    • PPE Safety Signs
    • All Compliance Signs

    Facility Signs

    • Restricted Area Signs
    • Smoking Signs
    • Machinery Signs
    • Bathroom Signs
    • Clearance Signs
    • All Facility Signs

    Traffic Signs

    • Directional Signs
    • Exit Signs
    • Forklift Signs
    • Emergency Signs
    • All Traffic Signs

    Floor Signs

    • Blank Floor Signs
    • Exit Floor Signs
    • Fire Safety Floor Signs
    • First Aid Floor Signs
    • LOTO Floor Signs
    • All Floor Signs

    Related Resources

    EHS Manager's Guide
    OSHA Safety Signs Guide
    Labeling Your Facility for Safety
    Safety Labels vs. Signs
    SEE MORE
  • Floor Tape

    Floor Tape

    • 5S Floor Tape
    • Aisle Tape
    • Glow in the Dark Tape
    • Reflective Tape
    • Anti-Slip Tape
    • All Floor Tape

    Floor Signs

    • Blank Floor Signs
    • Exit Floor Signs
    • Fire Safety Floor Signs
    • First Aid Floor Signs
    • LOTO Floor Signs
    • All Floor Signs

    Floor Marking Shapes

    • Floor Marking Corners
    • Floor Marking T's
    • Floor Marking Footprints
    • Floor Marking Circles
    • Floor Marking Arrows
    • All Floor Marking Shapes

    Other

    • Discount Bundles
    • Floor Marking Accessories
    • Floor Laminate

    Related Resources

    Floor Marking Best Practices
    Floor Marking Color Chart
    What is Floor Marking?
    Floor Tape vs. Paint
    SEE MORE
  • Pipe Markers

    Shop By Standard

    • ANSI A13.1 Pipe Markers
    • Ammonia (IIAR) Pipe Markers
    • Medical (NFPA 99) Pipe Markers
    • Marine (ISO 14726) Pipe Markers
    • European Pipe Markers
    • All Pipe Markers

    ANSI Pipe Markers

    • Fire Quenching
    • Flammable/Oxidizing
    • Toxic or Corrosive
    • Compressed Air
    • Various Water
    • All ANSI Pipe Markers

    Other

    • Pipe Marking Accessories
    • Valve Tags
    • Arrow Banding Tape

    Related Resources

    Pipe Marking Best Practices
    Facility Pipe Marking Guide
    Pipe Marking Basics
    Getting Started with Pipe Marking
    SEE MORE
  • COVID-19

    COVID-19 Solutions

    • Safety Signs
    • Printer Kits
    • Awareness Posters
    • A-Frame Signs
    • Sneeze Guards
    • All COVID-19 Solutions

    Social Distancing

    • Social Distancing Signs
    • Social Distancing Floor Signs
    • Social Distancing Floor Tape
    • All Social Distancing

    COVID-19 By Industry

    • Grocery & Retail
    • Medical & Healthcare
    • Office Settings
    • Restaurants & Food Service
    • Food Manufacturing
    • Construction
    • Manufacturing
    • Finance
    • Transportation
    • Education

    Related Resources

    COVID-19 Safety At Work Webinar
    Social Distancing Reference Chart
    SEE MORE
  • Resources
  • Help
  • Samples
  • Quick Order
    Enter item SKU# and quantity
Graphic Products
  • My Account
  • Printers & Supplies
  • Safety Signs
  • Floor Tape
  • Pipe Markers
  • COVID-19
  • Resources
  • Help
  • Samples
  • Quick Order
  • Favorites
  • Contact Us
  • Back
  • MY ACCOUNT
  • Account
  • Orders
  • Addresses
  • Login & Security
  • Payment Methods
  • Carrier Accounts
  • Favorites Lists
  • Sign Out
  • Back
  • SIGN IN
  • No Account? Sign up
    Forgot password?
  • Back
  • Quick Order
Enter item SKU# and quantity
  • Back
  • Printers & Supplies
  • DuraLabel Kodiak
  • DuraLabel Toro
  • DuraLabel Bronco
  • DuraLabel Lobo
  • DuraLabel PRO 300
  • Shop All Printers
  • Shop All Supplies
  • Shop All Ribbons
  • Labeling Software
  • Back
  • DuraLabel Kodiak
  • Kodiak Supplies
  • Kodiak Ribbon
  • Kodiak Accessories
  • Kodiak Bundles and Kits
  • Kodiak Support
  • Shop All Printers
  • Shop All Supplies
  • Shop All Ribbons
  • Labeling Software
  • Back
  • DuraLabel Toro
  • Toro Supplies
  • Toro Ribbon
  • Toro Accessories
  • Toro Bundles and Kits
  • Toro Support
  • Shop All Printers
  • Shop All Supplies
  • Shop All Ribbons
  • Labeling Software
  • Back
  • DuraLabel Bronco
  • Bronco Supplies
  • Bronco Ribbon
  • Bronco Accessories
  • Bronco Bundles and Kits
  • Bronco Support
  • Shop All Printers
  • Shop All Supplies
  • Shop All Ribbons
  • Labeling Software
  • Back
  • DuraLabel Lobo
  • Lobo Supplies
  • Lobo Ribbon
  • Lobo Accessories
  • Lobo Support
  • Shop All Printers
  • Shop All Supplies
  • Shop All Ribbons
  • Labeling Software
  • Back
  • DuraLabel PRO 300
  • DLP 300 Supplies
  • DLP 300 Ribbon
  • DLP 300 Accessories
  • DLP 300 Bundles and Kits
  • DLP 300 Support
  • Shop All Printers
  • Shop All Supplies
  • Shop All Ribbons
  • Labeling Software
  • Back
  • Safety Signs
  • Compliance Signs
  • Facility Signs
  • Traffic Signs
  • Floor Signs
  • Shop All Safety Signs
  • Back
  • Compliance Signs
  • Chemical Signage
  • Confined Space Signs
  • Electrical Hazard Signs
  • Fire Signage
  • PPE Safety Signs
  • All Compliance Signs
  • Back
  • Facility Signs
  • Restricted Area Signs
  • Smoking Signs
  • Machinery Signs
  • Bathroom Signs
  • All Facility Signs
  • Back
  • Traffic Signs
  • Directional Signs
  • Exit Signs
  • Emergency Signs
  • Forklift Signs
  • All Traffic Signs
  • Back
  • Floor Signs
  • Blank Floor Signs
  • Exit Floor Signs
  • Fire Safety Floor Signs
  • First Aid Floor Signs
  • LOTO Floor Signs
  • All Floor Signs
  • Back
  • Floor Tape
  • General Floor Tape
  • Floor Signs
  • Floor Marking Shapes
  • Other
  • Shop All Floor Tape
  • Back
  • Floor Tape
  • 5S Floor Tape
  • Aisle Tape
  • Glow in the Dark Tape
  • Reflective Tape
  • Anti-Slip Tape
  • All Floor Tape
  • Back
  • Floor Signs
  • Blank Floor Signs
  • Exit Floor Signs
  • Fire Safety Floor Signs
  • First Aid Floor Signs
  • LOTO Floor Signs
  • All Floor Signs
  • All Floor Signs
  • Back
  • Floor Marking Shapes
  • Floor Marking Corners
  • Floor Marking T's
  • Floor Marking Footprints
  • Floor Marking Circles
  • Floor Marking Arrows
  • All Floor Marking Shapes
  • Back
  • Other
  • Discount Bundles
  • Floor Marking Accessories
  • Floor Laminate
  • Back
  • Pipe Markers
  • Shop By Standard
  • ANSI Pipe Markers
  • Other
  • Shop All Pipe Markers
  • Back
  • Shop By Standard
  • Standard (ANSI A13.1) Pipe Markers
  • Ammonia (IIAR) Pipe Markers
  • Medical (NFPA 99) Pipe Markers
  • Marine (ISO 14726) Pipe Markers
  • European Pipe Markers
  • All Pipe Markers
  • Back
  • ANSI Pipe Markers
  • Fire Quenching
  • Flammable/Oxidizing
  • Toxic or Corrosive
  • Compressed Air
  • Various Water
  • All ANSI Pipe Markers
  • Back
  • Other
  • Pipe Marking Accessories
  • Valve Tags
  • Arrow Banding Tape
  • Back
  • COVID-19
  • COVID-19 Solutions
  • Social Distancing
  • COVID-19 By Industry
  • Shop All COVID-19 Solutions
  • Back
  • COVID-19 Solutions
  • Safety Signs
  • Printer Kits
  • Awareness Posters
  • A-Frame Signs
  • Sneeze Guards
  • All COVID-19 Solutions
  • Back
  • Social Distancing
  • Social Distancing Signs
  • Social Distancing Floor Signs
  • Social Distancing Floor Tape
  • All Social Distancing
  • Back
  • COVID-19 By Industry
  • Grocery & Retail
  • Medical & Healthcare
  • Office Settings
  • Restaurants & Food Service
  • Food Manufacturing
  • Construction
  • Manufacturing
  • Finance
  • Transportation
  • Education
  • Home
  • Resources
  • Articles
  • What Is Kaizen?

What Is Kaizen?

BY GRAPHIC PRODUCTS STAFF

Kaizen originated in Japan during the early 1950s and comes from two words: Kai (improvement) and Zen (good). Over time, Kaizen became synonymous for continuous improvement, and today’s businesses use it to improve quality, increase productivity, and reduce costs through the elimination of waste.

Unlike other continuous improvement programs, Kaizen requires little upfront capital investment because it relies on making small, daily changes that result in major improvements over time.


This is part 1 in our Kaizen educational series for businesses:
  • What is Kaizen?
  • Kaizen Events, Explained
  • Benefits of Kaizen
  • Getting Started with Kaizen
  • Motivate workers & become a more effective leader with Kaizen (Get our Kaizen Guide)

Making Kaizen Work for Your Business

Part of what makes Kaizen successful is that it involves all workers, making improvements in every aspect of the business. To this end, there are two main approaches to Kaizen as follows:

  • Process Kaizen focuses on changes to individual work areas to make work more efficient.
  • Flow Kaizen focuses on changes that improve material and information flow throughout the entire business.

Process Kaizen

repair tool board

This approach to Kaizen requires workers to begin looking for small improvements they can make in their work area within a day or two. Ideally improvements should be focused on eliminating waste (muda) and work processes that are overly difficult (muri), such as:

  • Missing tools or supplies, which cause undue delays
  • Tasks that require workers to frequently leave their work area
  • Mistakes or errors that are repeated
  • Excessive motion (lifting, bending, etc.)

Focusing on individual work areas enable workers from every department to see the results of their improvements—helping Kaizen gain the buy-in it needs to be successful.

Flow Kaizen

While Process Kaizen focuses on individual work areas, Flow Kaizen focuses on making larger changes that impact multiple work areas, using cross-departmental teams. These teams are empowered to make a change within a pre-defined scope of responsibility.

Manufacturing companies, for example, use Flow Kaizen to reorganize how information and materials flow from purchasing, to fabrication, and then to assembly and paint. Through process standardization, teams can begin to:

  • Eliminate errors caused by non-standard processes
  • Reduce downtime (waiting) caused by materials or supplies not being where they should
  • Reduce rework caused by miscommunication between departments

To succeed, each team must be well-trained and supported by management. Changes that impact multiple areas need to involve teams from each area to ensure that the most effective solution is implemented.

Kaizen Best Practices Guide
A free guide to reducing costs and increasing productivity.

Kaizen Implementation

 

Kaizen breaks away from the “command and control approach to improvements by replacing time and labor-intensive projects with smaller projects using Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA). PDCA is based on the scientific method (hypothesis, experiment, evaluation) and provides an effective way to find problems, develop solutions and apply solutions in a continuous cycle.

Another lean tool used to support Kaizen is known as the 5 Whys. This tool helps workers identify the root cause of a problem by asking a series of questions that dig beneath the surface. For example, the cause of a mistake at the burnout table might first be blamed on the employee. However, by applying 5 Whys, the root cause of the problem might turn out to be a missing dimension on the print, which was caused by a lack of standards in the engineering department. The solution? Create a drawing standard and train the employees to ensure it’s used.

In addition to small, daily changes, businesses have begun to use Kaizen Events or “Blitzes” to address larger issues and realize major improvements in a short period of time. Typically, solutions are implemented within a week or two at most. These events help to prove Kaizen’s effectiveness and improve buy-in for the program.

Benefits of Kaizen

While Kaizen has proven its effectiveness by increasing productivity, there are some unexpected benefits. Kaizen nurtures employees through empowerment and education. Employees are taught to use root-cause analysis and other problem solving tools to improve their work experience. At the same time, employees are trusted to develop and implement the solutions they come up with.

Other benefits include:

  • Improving quality
  • Increasing safety
  • Reducing costs
  • Increasing customer satisfaction and more

 

How Can You Start a Kaizen Program?

Are you ready to get started with Kaizen? Graphic Products offers a free, in-depth Best Practice Guide to Kaizen to help improve efficiency, quality, and profit. This guide provides information that can help you train your employees, as well as direction on where to get started. Download it for free below!

Another helpful tool includes proper labeling and signage, enabling workers to:

  • Identify the correct workflow
  • Perform tasks correctly
  • Avoid hazards
  • Communicate essential information

Overall, labels and signs help reduce injuries and improve workplace safety. DuraLabel industrial label and sign printers by Graphic Products can help you develop clear, custom visual communication. With a variety of printers and more than 50 specialty supplies, you’ll find the right tools for your needs.

Kaizen Best Practices Guide
A free guide to reducing costs and increasing productivity.

Related Resources

Kaizen: Continuous Improvement Ideas for Healthcare

Continuous Improvement in Healthcare

Stay within budget and improve every aspect of the workplace with ideas for continuous improvement using Kaizen.

Read
Using Lean Kaizen Theory in Manufacturing

Lean Kaizen Theory in Manufacturing

See how Kaizen Theory is beneficial in a manufacturing environment by encouraging employee suggestions for improvements.

Read
Kaizen & PDCA

Kaizen

Start implementing Kaizen in your facility using the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle and achieve continual improvement.

Download
  • A free guide to reducing costs and increasing productivity.
  • The free 5s guide will start you on the path to efficiency.
Get the latest deals straight to your inbox
Trusted by These Companies
Starbucks
GM
Du Pont
Amazon
Disney
3M
Pepsi
NASA
Chevron
AT&T
Toyota
Coca-Cola
UPS
Target
  • Graphic Products, Inc.
    9825 SW Sunshine Ct
    Beaverton, OR
    97005 USA

  • 1-888-326-9244 (U.S./Canada)
  • +1-503-644-5572 (International)
  • Products
  • Printers
  • Printer Supplies
  • Safety Signs
  • Safety Labels
  • Floor Marking
  • Pipe Markers & Tags
  • Catalog
  • Support
  • Shipping & Returns
  • Manage Account
  • Printer Support
  • Warranties
  • Content Usage Guidelines
  • Resources
  • Resource Center
  • Guides
  • Articles
  • Video Library
  • Safety Blog
  • Infographics
  • Webinars
  • Company
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Become a Dealer
  • Find a Dealer
  • Press Room

Need Help?

Give us a call at 1-888-326-9244 and speak with an expert.

Customer Reviews
;
  • Copyright © 2021
  • All Rights Reserved
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Shipping and Returns
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Data