Kaikaku consists of two characters: the fi rst, Kai, meaning to change, and the second, Kaku, meaning to transform or expel.


Lean Manufacturing


KAIKAKU: A


MANUFACTURING RE-IMAGINED


Kaikaku goes beyond production to break the existing paradigm and create a breakthrough using a new system or model.


Alistair Munro


Business Development Manager Munro & Associates/Lean Design Canada


s new global environments squeeze down on local manufac- turers, it is important to take every opportunity to improve process and reduce cost to be competi- tive. But how does the modern


manufacturer know if they are truly employing best practices? So many once-great American manufactur- ing fi rms are becoming vestiges of a quickly fading past glory. The key lies in assessing the current state—accurately. Sadly, many companies do not have the honest metrics to be objective and think differently than their predecessors and competition.


May 2012 | www.sme.org/manufacturingengineering 99


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