Everett Toyota and the Kaizen Philosophy

Everett Toyota Repair and Kaizen
Have you ever heard of the Toyota Kaizen Philosophy? Everett Toyota Service has kept the philosophy alive well beyond the manufacture of the vehicles in Japan! Interestingly, the Kaizen principles were introduced in 1950 by American business experts in an effort to rebuild Japanese industry after World War II. Homer Sarasohn and Charles Protzman of the Civil Communications Section (CCS) were tasked along with Edgar McVoy of the Economic and Science Section (ESS) to improve Japanese management skills. The initial introduction of Kaizen (improvement) was with a training film titled Improvement in 4 Steps (Kaizen eno Yon Dankai); by Dr. W. Edwards Deming to teach

the Training Within Industry’s (TWI) 3-J’s:

  1. Job Instruction
  2. Job Methods
  3. Job Relations

Implementation of Kaizen

The Toyota Production System is noted for kaizen. Should an abnormality be perceived by any production personnel, every line employee is expected to stop their production line, with the supervisor, and initiate a kaizen as described by the Shewhart Cycle:

  • Standardize an operation
  • Measure the standardized operation by measuring cycle time and process inventory
  • Gauge measurements against requirements
  • Innovate to meet requirements and increase productivity
  • Standardize the new, improved operation
  • Continue cycle ad infinitum

Continuation of Kaizen

Everett Toyota Service maintains kaizen with routine maintenance and encouraging you to do regular visual inspections of your Toyota. By keeping abreast of every system in your car, you will be likely to catch a potential problem long before it becomes a catastrophic and expensive repair. For example, if  you change your oil as recommended, you will assure that your Toyota will not suffer engine failure from depleted oil. Taking it further, if you have your brakes visually inspected each time you have your oil changed, you will know immediately when the brake pads need replaced, avoiding a potentially hazardous situation or a costly repair if the pads completely wear and damage the rotors. This practice can be applied to all systems! Constant improvement is the credo to live by, especially when caring for your Toyota.