Video Kaizen Success Stories
See Real Manufacturing Results. One Kaizen at a Time.
Watch Adam Lawrence share the stories, strategies, and breakthroughs behind real Kaizen transformations.
Living in the Moment
My project manager liked to tour new places and I found out how much he liked Formula 1 racing. While in Belgium, we found one of the most famous tracks in the world, Nürburgring. We walked in like we owned the place and had a blast taking it all in.
Leadership Commitment in a Challenging Situation
When my team leader came down with COVID, I thought it would be wise to delay the Kaizen event. He wanted to push through and joined us virtually on the first day. Even without him physically in the room with the team, we didn't miss a beat and made some significant improvements.
Go with your Gut
I bought 200 ninja stress relievers to bring to a conference. My marketing mentor thought it was a bad idea. I decided to make the best of my "bad" investment.
Getting More than they Bargained for
We were conducting the first 5S Kaizen at the plant. With so much disorganization and clutter, it was affecting the team's changeover performance. When I introduced the concept of Spaghetti Diagrams, it opened their eyes to the possibilities and reduced the changeover time by more than 50%.
Carrying a Heavy Weight on my Shoulders
We had a challenging relationship between our hourly workers and management. I never realized how much it affected me, until I left and my neighbor saw the difference in me.
A Picture is Worth More than a Thousand Words - It's Priceless
The leadership team didn't seem too interested in what I had to offer, until we showed them the before and after photos from their sister facility. Then, things got exciting!
A Challenging Place to Work
What appeared to be the hardest and hottest job in the company was the one valued most by the technician doing the work.
An Unlucky Break
Thanksgiving was always my nemesis at work. Things always seemed to happen over the holidays. This time, a water main break in the city of St. Helens Oregon shut our plant down and we had to figure out a way to get things running again without more disruptions.
Go to the Source
There were twelve different reports from eight different states all due at the same time. The only way to stay compliant was to contact each state agency and ask for their help.
Like a Pro
One of our team members was shy and reserved and didn't want to present during the report out. We were able to convince him and he was so passionate about our improvements, the audience was inspired.
Perfection Isn't Always a Good Idea
We brought robots into our dining room table factory, thinking that they could make a much better looking and consistent product than we could by hand. They succeeded, only to be rejected by our customers.
The Littlest Negotiator
When I was very young, my uncle taught me valuable business and negotiation lessons that I use to this day.
