| | |  | Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) | Home » » » » Gemba Kaizen: A Commonsense, Low-Cost Approach to Management | | | | | | | 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. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Masaaki Imai | | Hardcover:
| 354 pages | | Publisher:
| McGraw-Hill | | Publication Date:
| March 01, 1997 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0070314462 | | Product Length:
| 9.25 inches | | Product Width:
| 6.31 inches | | Product Height:
| 1.22 inches | | Product Weight:
| 1.46 pounds | | Package Length:
| 9.2 inches | | Package Width:
| 6.1 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.4 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.75 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 18 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 18 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 23 found the following review helpful:
Gemba -- Place where action happensMay 21, 2001
As a practitioner and instructor of lean and six sigma, I recommend this book a lot. Gemba is a vitally important concept that often gets overlooked or gets overshadowed by our data, especially in an increasingly e-driven world. Gemba Kaizen is especially useful for engineers and supervisors, who may not have extensive TPS experience, who need a practical guide for applying lean principals in their workplace. It has a nice glossary at the beginning. It has good sections on visual management (5S) and standard work. In addition to the 10 Rules for Gemba Kaizen, the following Imai quote is one of my favorites: "A lack of the five S's in gemba indicates inefficiency, muda, insufficient self-discipline, low moral, poor quality, high costs, and an inability to meet delivery terms."
12 of 12 found the following review helpful:
 Every manufacturing and service professional should read it.Feb 18, 1998
By William A. Levinson
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
9 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Insightful!Mar 20, 2001
By Rolf Dobelli
"getAbstract"
Author Masaaki Imai argues that companies can become more profitable by constantly looking for efficiencies, instead of seeking huge leaps, as is the Western custom. The Japanese philosophy of kaizen says businesses must mercilessly cut waste by eliminating anything that's even remotely inefficient. These strategies will lead to more profitable companies and better employee morale. Imai makes compelling arguments, and supports them with a number of case studies and real world examples that show kaizen in action. We at getAbstract recommend this book to managers, particularly executives of manufacturing companies.
16 of 21 found the following review helpful:
 Not much new information when you have read 'Kaizen' alreadyOct 27, 1999
By Ellen
The book Gemba-Kaizen is somewhat disappointing if you have read the book 'Kaizen' already. It gives not much new information. The only new idea in the book is the attention given to the 'Gemba', the place where the processes are performed. Imai is right to stress the importance of the Gemba for operational excellence and he gives some nice tools and examples to illustrate the Gemba's importance. However, only one nice idea is somewhat poor to fill a whole book. The major message of the book can be told just as well in an articel of no more then 4 pages.
6 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Get Imai's Gemba Kaizen. You won't be able to put it down!Jan 03, 1999
By AMannon837@aol.com
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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