Kaizen in Action: A Xerox and Sundyne Case Study

How can Kaizen tackle a particular problem quickly? In this Profit through Profit podcast. Genna Weiss speaks with Brad Williams, Sundyne Supplier Quality Engineer, and Cyndi Quan-Trotter, Xerox Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt. Williams and Quan-Trotter discuss how Xerox and Sundyne, a leading global manufacturer of engineered pumps and compressors, came together to initiate a Kaizen event to add additional in-house capabilities for Sundyne’s copy center and improve the work flow around the office, which led to impressive results.

You will hear how Kaizen’s flexibility and suitability for visual-flow type projects lended itself to this particular mission. Williams and Quan-Trotter discuss the process and tools used to come up with the solution to the project, which included identifying the key measurables and using spaghetti charting to decrease the amount of time spent processing a work order. You will also hear how Sundyne and Xerox both followed Sundyne’s management directive to reduce floor space by 20 percent and fit in new, larger equipment along with existing equipment into the smaller space.

[inlinead]This Kaizen project resulted in an immediate reduction in annual spend by 6.7 percent from increasing in-house capabilities and a reduction in travel time between work stations for employees, thereby increasing the company’s employee satisfaction levels—in only a couple of days. Williams and Quan-Trotter also offer advice on how other organizations can adopt these tactics for their own Kaizen events.