Kaizen

Kaizen within Microns 
Microns are acting upon our customers requirements for smaller batch sizes at competitive prices by adopting and implementing the Kaizen philosophy for the necessity of faster Set up / Changeover (SMED) between product lines.

Both partners have worked closely in recent years with the Kaizen Institute in gaining the tools and techniques necessary to improve our service of Quality product, Delivered on time and at a Competitive price (QCD).

Through processes of Waste Elimination Microns can compete with more established suppliers that are less familiar in these methods and standards of manufacture.

These tools have focussed us on Value Adding within our processes and we are always conscious of what tasks can be performed internally/externally of the changeover.

We have reduced our typical changeover times 50% - 75% by implementing these techniques therefore allowing us to give a cost reduction to our customers or reduce our batch sizes accordingly by the same percentage. Our average batch sizes of 50-100 off we have seen drop to a far more customer acceptable 25 off allowing our product manufactured within the working week to be far more varied. The reduction in our batch sizes allows customers to benefit from less inventory, traditional changeover times would have provided stock that in some cases would have lasted them weeks even months before they were actually used.

We also consider visits with our customers very beneficial; it is often good for both parties in the building of customer / supplier partnerships to experience each others processes. This enables everyone involved to “see with Kaizen eyes” – looking for waste within the existing process and implement improvements accordingly such as Kanban and One Piece Flow.