“Gemba Kazein” Commonsensical and low-cost approach towards management
Published by MT Biznes 2006; Sponsored by Manager Magazine, Kazein InstituteISBN: 83-88970-77-1
Format 158/233
450 pp
Price 75 PLN
Hardback

We would like to present a valuable asset for practitioners. Just 160 pages out of 450 are dedicated to case studies. And these cases are not the examples of unattainable Toyota.

For example, we visit together with Masaaki Imai the insurance company, shoes manufacturer from USA and MK Electronic – 17 men company employing housewives.  They produce electronic components to panels and their deficiency factor is just 3%. The company president together with his wife replenish deficiency after work hours, very often until midnight because  they do not want to offend their employees by accusing them of producing shoddy articles.  Isn't it similar to situations in some small Polish companies? A short time ago, we encountered a similar situation in a Polish factory producing small elements to headlights. A new Production Manager, Arek, was tearing his hair out over the shocking number of shortages. The first talk with an operator revealed that she did not have any idea what she was producing. She was shocked when Arek showed her a headlight for a limousine costing 3000 PLN. It was the beginning of the real quality control and the beginning of applying Kaizen in this company. You will find the end of this story in MK Electronic in a newly published in Polish language world bestseller “Gemba Kazein" written by the international master in production management – Maasaki Imai.

This handbook contains a practical and simple Lean/Kaizen dictionary, its philosophy, comprehensive description of 7 wastes / Mudas, discussion of learning by acting and ways of encouraging workers to act, discussion of the role of management of different levels - from the board of management to a foreman. In the book, you can find also a lot about JIT, visual management, standards and the way to make workers co-produce and obey these standards.

There is really a lot of useful, practical and clearly presented information.  We invite you to read this book, but what we truly recommend is to act according to “Gemba Kazein”!

See a list of content and excerpt from the book: kaizen-massaki_imai.pdf