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| Aerial shot of the Alaskan Moutains during my flight to Japan |
Since I’ve gotten a few questions about my work, I thought I’d
take the opportunity to provide a little context into the nature of LEAN here
in Singapore.
LEAN, or kaizen, is a business philosophy that drives
improvement through a variety of innovative problem-solving tools and
benchmarks. Kaizen was developed by
Toyota Motors over 60 years ago as an initiative to promote continuous
improvement of the production process by redesigning the throughput to
eliminate waste, improve safety, and quality.
Toyota did this by utilizing the
pull-system concept, a manufacturing method developed by three Toyota employees between 1948 and 1975. The pull-system eliminates
a variety of wastes by producing only what’s needed in the exact time it is
needed. By slimming down the process,
over-production and process stagnation are removed, creating a waste-free product
that is cheaper and more uniformly produced.
The “Toyota Production System” philosophy was shared openly
by the company when the first Toyota-North America plant was built in my home
state of Kentucky. The philosophy was
later tested and adapted to a variety of other industries with great
success. The term “LEAN” became the unofficial
moniker of the philosophy, driving the teaching of kaizen into other
manufacturing areas, as well as IT, healthcare, and others.
With the identity changes that the Toyota Production System
has gone through over the years, a few key misconceptions remain. “LEAN” isn’t about cutting or re-organizing
jobs. It’s a way to look at a variety of
business models, production processes, and organizational flow systems in order to
continuously innovate and improve the process, no matter the company or
industry.
My employer, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, is the one of the most storied
medical institutions in Southeast Asia, with a long history of patient and
community service. I intern within the
kaizen department, a group of 20 full-time project managers, analysts, and
engineers devoted to constantly improve the already impeccable medical service
provided by Singapore’s largest hospital.
Through a variety of problem-solving methods, the kaizen
department is able to solve numerous logistical problems that prevent the
hospital from operating at the highest level.
But like learning, kaizen never ends.
Total satisfaction can never be achieved. Improvement must be constant, no matter how
small the project.
Until next time, be safe la!
Scott
