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Key Business Issue

Increasing Productivity

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Customer Testimonial

“[Before Kaizen], the quality results were disastrous. Twelve of 13 welders failed to produce welds to the required specification, and nine of 13 failed to produce acceptable penetration. Over time, both quality and productivity improved.”
— Viwek Vaidya, senior expert, Air Liquide SA
— Andy McCartney, manager of welding services, Omniweld Integrated Solutions

Application

All welding operations, with a special emphasis on high-volume welding.

Key Business Issue

• Implementing a system for change that can achieve the following goals:
  • Make the job easier
  • Remove nuisance and drudgery from the job
  • Make the job safer
  • Make the job more productive
  • Improve product quality
  • Save time and reduce cost

Challenge

• Implement a Japanese-style management system with a long-term perspective among Western managers who look for quick results.
• Finding a champion for change among top management.
• Maintaining a long-term commitment among all employees.
• Implementing a standards and measuring system.

Previous System & Process

• Traditional Western-style management techniques that emphasize short-term goals.
• Systems where people can identify problems but have no incentive to solve them.

New Solution

• Kaizen, taken from “Kai,” which means continuous and “Zen,” which means improvement.

Results

• Continuous improvement. Small, incremental wins that lead to spectacular improvement over time. For example, the bridge manufacturing contractor applied Kaizen to wire feed speed, welding technique and welding travel speed. After 12 months, travel speeds increased from 8.8 to 14 inches per minute, a 59% improvement. Further, welds that failed visual and penetration evaluation were greatly reduced.
• Problems turn into opportunities. With Kaizen, when you identify a problem, you must solve it. Through continuous monitoring and measuring, you can consistently surpass previously set standards. This takes the welding process to a new, higher standard of performance. Many companies see productivity increase by 30 to 100%, all without any major capital investments.
• A customer-focused organization. Kaizen helps lower costs and lets management become more attentive to customer needs because it creates an environment focused on customer requirements (in fact, any action that does not create value for the customer is considered waste).