Kaizen is a Japanese word meaning change for the better. In manufacturing it means steady, small improvements made by the people who do the work. Instead of waiting for a big project, teams look for waste, try a fix, measure the result and make the better method the new standard. Kaizen can be a daily habit, such as an idea board in each cell, or a focused kaizen event, where a small team spends a few days improving one process. Each improvement should end with updated standard work or instructions.
Example: A three-day kaizen event in a packing cell maps the steps and finds that packers walk to a shared tape station 40 times a shift. The team puts a tape dispenser on each bench, updates the packing work instruction, and compares walking time before and after.
Large improvement projects are slow and often stall, while small changes from the people closest to the work add up and are easier to sustain. Kaizen only holds if the new method is written into the standard; otherwise the process drifts back.
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