Addressing quality continuous improvement with Kaizen

In today’s competitive landscape, ensuring consistent supplier quality is key to long-term success. However, when your priorities include chasing suppliers for complete documentation, needing to resolve issues quickly, and juggling multiple tasks, to maintain and improve quality becomes an afterthought. 

The Japanese philosophy of Kaizen encapsulates this idea of “continuous improvement” with a methodology that centers on implementing small, incremental changes in business processes. Keep reading to understand how you can transform difficult supplier relationships with accountability and trust utilizing Kaizen tools. 

Understanding the Kaizen philosophy 

Kaizen is a powerful philosophy that empowers SQEs to achieve lasting quality enhancements by reducing waste and increasing productivity with iterated actions that create sustainable improvement and robust supplier relationships. 

This approach transforms quality improvement from a passive and reactive process into a proactive journey. Firstly introduced by Masaaki Imai in his book “The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success”, Kaizen tools are widely used by quality engineers around the world to create standardized, measurable processes, resulting in business success. 

Kaizen practices and techniques for proactive supplier quality management 

Masaaki Imai describes Kaizen as an “umbrella” covering a set of foundational principles and practices for sustainable quality management. Here are some of the most important practices and techniques you and your team can apply for a proactive approach to supplier quality management:

Fostering a culture of collaboration 

With the concept of cooperative labor-management relations, Kaizen emphasizes the necessity of consistent communication. In the context of Quality Management, this translates to an open dialogue with techniques like ‘QC Circles’ (also known as quality control circles) with supplier teams. Fostering problem-solving, trust, and a sense of ownership for more effective solutions. 

Identifying and eliminating waste (Muda) 

A core tenet under the Kaizen umbrella is the relentless pursuit of productivity improvement by eliminating waste, also known as “Muda”. SQEs can guide suppliers in analyzing their operations and remove inefficiencies, like unnecessary inspections or rework loops, leading to a higher-quality output. 

The power of small, incremental steps 

The Kaizen umbrella focuses on the importance of small, incremental steps to create sustainable change and achieve quality improvement. SQEs can work with suppliers to set realistic, achievable goals that focus on specific areas for improvement. Building steady momentum towards Zero Defects. 

Utilizing the PDCA cycle for total quality control 

The Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle is a fundamental Kaizen tool for total quality control (TQC). SQEs can guide suppliers to plan enhancements, check their effectiveness and act based on results, which creates a standardized approach leading to less variability and significant long-term gain. 

Empowering the supplier workforce through discipline  

Kaizen thrives on discipline in the workplace, an approach that sets the foundation for SQEs to encourage suppliers to involve their entire workforce in quality initiatives. Allowing teams to share their insights and propose new ways of doing things, helping suppliers to develop standardized procedures that aren’t just quick fixes. 

Kaizen events applied to SQE’s workflow 

The Kaizen Umbrella offers SQEs the needed leverage to drive substantial and rapid change within the supply chain. These events provide the necessary structure for team-based rapid improvement, one that starts with planning and ends with a follow-up, as the US Environmental Protection Agency suggests. 

Usually, applying the Kaizen philosophy requires the use of methods such as: 

• The 5S Methodology: This methodology helps create a clean, organized work environment, reducing errors and improving efficiency, with its five principles: sort (seiri), set in order (seiton), shinning (seiso), standardize (seiketsu) and sustain (shitsuke).
• Kanban boards: Utilizing visual aids like charts, graphs and Kanban boards helps everyone within the organization stay informed and identify problems quickly. 
• Standardized work: Developing standardized procedures and checklists ensures consistent quality and reduces variability.

Benefits of Kaizen for quality engineering 

SQEs can create a win-win situation for both the organization and its suppliers by integrating Kaizen principles, which focuses on proactive quality management. This is due to the methodology’s core benefits: 

• Improved supplier quality: Continuous improvement focuses on eliminating the root cause of quality issues, which leads to a steady increase in supplier quality and reduces defects as well as rework and poor quality costs.
• Strengthened supplier relationships: Kaizen fosters a culture of trust, accountability and transparency between all the parties involved, removing communication barriers and strengthening supplier relationships.
• Enhanced insights: This philosophy promotes data-driven decision-making, which not only accounts for more improvement initiatives but also helps to standardize processes, benefiting both parties. 
• Reduced compliance risks: With a quantifiable and standardized process, it’s easier to review legal compliance, preventing possible liabilities and regulatory fines that could damage both brand’s supply chain.
• Increased innovation: A problem-solving work culture not only helps to reduce errors and prevent problems, it also lets SQE’s focus on what truly matters, constant innovation, leading to better products and processes. 

Make continuous improvement easier with technology 

Achieving quality improvement is only possible if you stop wasting time with countless manual documents and several spreadsheets. Automate your day-to-day task and start a proactive quality management with Kaizen and Kiuey’s AVL Supplier Manager. 

Strengthen your supplier relationships and reduce quality issues with an all-in-one place platform that transforms your problems into solutions. Schedule a free demo today.