Gemba Kaizen

In the manufacturing industry, there are three main activities i.e. manufacture, sell products, and making money. Without these activities, the company could not exist. Therefore, in the broad sense gemba means the components of the three main activities. In the context of a more narrow, gemba means the place where the products are made.

Often you hear of Genba Kaizen and Kaizen but what are the differences between these two tools?

"Kaizen" means continuous improvement, continuous improvement involving everyone from the manager to the first level consists of the operating personnel

Kaizen is based on a series of proposals to remove anything that does not work within a process.
Is carried out in small daily improvements, carried out day after day consistently.

The "Genba Kaizen," a close relative of pù known Kaizen philosophy, derived from the Japanese word "Genba" which means work (associated with the "genbutsu" which identifies the objects of common use in Genba: the machinery, instruments, tools , etc..

Genba Principle:

When a problem occurs (abnormality), first do gemba or come to the location.

This is the first principle, and the most important. Many managers learn about problems that occur in the field from the report sampling to them a few days or weeks afterwards. The best solution is to go into the field at a time when you hear that a problem has occurred.

Check with gembutsu or observe against the factor man, machine, method, material, environment.

Gembutsu Japan language, means real things you can feel. If the machine is off, the machine itself is gembutsu. If the customer complains, the customer is gembutsu. For example, if the engine dies, go to gemba and see the engine properly. By looking at the machine, and ask the question "why" a few times, You might be able to find out the reasons of the occurrence of the damage.

Take precautions while on the scene of the problem

as an example, if the engine dies, you should immediately turn the machine because the production had to keep the road. for example with Your kicking important machine machine way. If the customer is upset, you need to apologies, or even give a gift to compose. But this is only a temporary action and not addressing the real problem, which leads to the next point or prevent problems in order not to widen

Find the root cause/root cause

By repeating the question "why" a few times, you can find the root cause of the problem

Standardization so that the problem does not recur

After you identify the cause, and have been doing repairs, you must standardize the repair so that the same problem would not happen again.

It is based on a set of enhancements carried out directly at individual workstations or individual departments.

The work of Genba Kaizen is divided into four distinct phases:

• Return to the place where a problem has occurred


• You identify the problem together with the causes that have given rise


• Trying to eliminate muda, the walls and the walls


• Solve the problem, or at least trying to improve the situation

The principles of Gemba Kaizen can be traced to the number of five:

• When there is a fault or problem, first went to the gemba (the workstation where it occurred)


• Controls everything that is defined as "gembutsu", that is, machinery, instruments, tools, etc..


• Take a decision quickly to stem the problem


• Find the causes that gave rise to the problem and remove them


• Implements the solution found and standardizes all to avoid that in the future, the problem will recur.