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Gemba Kaizen: A Commonsense, Low-Cost Approach to Management [Hardcover]

Masaaki Imai
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

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Gemba Kaizen: A Commonsense Approach to a Continuous Improvement Strategy 2/E Gemba Kaizen: A Commonsense Approach to a Continuous Improvement Strategy 2/E
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Book Description

1 April 1997 0070314462 978-0070314467
When it comes to making your business more profitable and successful, don't look to re-engineering for answers. A better way is to apply the concept of kaizen, which mean making simple, common-sense improvements and refinements to critical business processes.The result: greater productivity, quality, and profits achieved with minimal cost, time, and effort invested. In this book, you discover how to maximize the results of kaizen by applying it to gemba--business processes involved in the manufacture of products and the rendering of services--the areas of your business where, as the author puts it, the "real action" takes place.


Product details

  • Hardcover: 384 pages
  • Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional (1 April 1997)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0070314462
  • ISBN-13: 978-0070314467
  • Product Dimensions: 16.2 x 2.7 x 23.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 76,989 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • See Complete Table of Contents

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Product Description

Book Description

When it comes to making your business more profitable and successful, don't look to re-engineering for answers. A better way is to apply the concept of kaizen, which mean making simple, common-sense improvements and refinements to critical business processes.The result: greater productivity, quality, and profits achieved with minimal cost, time, and effort invested. In this book, you discover how to maximize the results of kaizen by applying it to gemba--business processes involved in the manufacture of products and the rendering of services--the areas of your business where, as the author puts it, the "real action" takes place.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
Since 1986, when the book Kaizen: The Key to Japan's Competitive Success was published, the term kaizen has come to be accepted as one of the key concepts of management. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
Masaaki Imai's Gemba Kaizen is the most refreshing read I have had in years. Buy it. Read it. Live it. Too many managers have lost touch with reality. Too many decisions are made from ivory towers. Too many CEOs,General Managers, Department Managers and Engineers rarely spend enough time on their shop floors, and subsequently lose touch with where value is added. This book offers a refreshing, low-cost, common sense approach that can have a life-long impact on any reader. The scope of this book is boundless, in that it can apply to either the public or private sectors. This book would make a great gift!

-- Tony R. Mannon

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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
Gemba is the place where value-adding activities take place. Decisive results can be achieved by focusing improvement activities in gemba. The author encourages managers and professionals to spend time in gemba to see what is happening and to encourage the front-line workers. General George S. Patton could easily be described as a gemba man: he encouraged officers to go to the scene of the action instead of trying to "lead" from a headquarters in the rear. He also recognized the role of the frontline worker (soldier) in achieving results. As a result, the troops under Patton's command won amazing and seemingly impossible victories. Companies that want to hold their market share and capture their competitors' must understand this lesson. (Imai does not discuss Patton, but the historical parallel is obvious.) My books "The Way of discuss General Carl von Clausewitz' "friction" in a workplace context. Friction includes seemingly minor inefficiencies and problems whose combined effects degrade the organization's performance. Imai uses the word "muda" (waste), and stresses the need to suppress it. Tom Peters says, "The accumulation of little items, each too 'trivial' to trouble the boss with, is a prime cause of miss-the-market delays." (from "Thriving on Chaos.") Muda is essentially the same thing as friction. Imai also mentions "muri" (strain), which arises from inadequate training, poor ergonomic design, and inadequate preventive maintenance. Muri is another form of friction. Imai also discusses tools like 5S-CANDO (CANDO = clearing up, arranging, neatness, discipline, and ongoing improvement). 5S-CANDO is another tool for reducing friction. Imai discusses Just-in-Time (JIT) as a tool for reducing inventory and improving product flow. Readers of Eliyahu Goldratt and Jeff Cox's "The Goal" will appreciate this section. Synchronous flow manufacturing (SFM) is treated in detail in "Leading the Way to Competitive Excellence: The Harris Mountaintop Case Study". The idea of JIT/SFM is to produce goods in response to customer demand, not to keep people and equipment busy. Imai discussess a mattress factory that uses this approach: it not only keeps inventory down, but it can offer far more product lines. This is a key tool for going after niche (small, specialized, customized) markets. William A. Levinson
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT! 3 Feb 1998
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
This book is definitely worth your time to read if you are interested in expanding your understanding of the whole Kaizen process and methods.
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