Gemba (also written “genba”): Japanese word meaning “the real place.” It’s where value creation happens, but also where most problems occur.
Gemba walk: definition
In the manufacturing world, a Gemba walk is the action of walking around a factory floor, or any other department,to identify problems and improvement ideas. The Gemba walk is essential to sustain a company’s continuous improvement culture. It represents the first step in a structured process that aims to systematically identify improvement opportunities and transformthese ideas into improvement plans. Here are just a few reasons to do it regularly:
Top-level and middle management
- Increaseproductivity;Increase Overall Equipment Effectiveness
- Reducehealth and safety hazards
- Increase team leaders,lower managementand workersautonomy
- Shift from reactive to proactive supervision.
Team leaders
- Increase credibility
- Increase proactive supervision
- Reduce time spent on reactive problem solving
- Increase time spent on improvementprojects
- Mobilize team members
- Simplify problem management.
Floor level employees
- Day to day problems are being seen, understood and solved
- Increase implicationin the improvement projects
- Decreasewaiting time
- Decrease stress
- Improve processes and tools
- Increase feedback.
Goal
- Identify and solve issues before they have an impact
- Identify and generate improvement opportunities.-
