Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, a case study on the application of lean production principles in a manufacturing facility is presented to demonstrate the impact of frequent and systematic use of a Kaizen event on quality and delivery performance. Second, the detailed description and analysis of the Kaizen event and its impact are provided, including a comprehensive analysis of the role of Kaizen events on employee participation and motivation. Design/methodology/approach The study utilizes a Kaizen event’s case study data with the help of various waste detection and elimination tools and techniques. Changes in overall productivity along with potential long-term improvements in the delivery process are also analyzed and documented. Findings Pre- and post-quality measures are provided to demonstrate the results of the event on the production quality and on the performance of the overall manufacturing processes. Qualitative findings regarding performance measurements and the impact on the employees are reported. Research limitations/implications The Kaizen team applied analytical techniques to one manufacturing site in North America of a company that has a manufacturing presence in 20 different countries. Originality/value Kaizen studies involving packaging operations are quite limited. This study fills this gap by detailing the Kaizen event implementation in a packaging delivery and dispensing systems manufacturer for the cosmetic industry. The implementation of this Kaizen event is detailed along with the data and techniques utilized for process improvement. The study also reports findings regarding the impact of the Kaizen event on employee participation.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to compare the practices of continuous improvement that are applied in medium and large manufacturing and service companies in two Latin American countries. At the same time, benefits and barriers experienced by these companies with regard to sustainability of continuous improvement are explored. Design/methodology/approach In order to generate a comparative study between two Latin American countries, interviews were conducted with managers linked to continuous improvement in medium and large companies in the State of Puebla and the Metropolitan District of Quito, which are important areas in Mexico and Ecuador, respectively. Data were collected by means of document analysis, semi-structured interviews, and direct observation. Findings Companies in both countries identify the use of various techniques and/or tools for continuous improvement. The results of the empirical evidence show how the impact of the application of the techniques has been beneficial in economic and human terms. Thus, the exploratory study has permitted the identification of the drivers and inhibitors in the maintenance of continuous improvement. Research limitations/implications The research is based on only two areas of the Latin American countries: Mexico and Ecuador. Their results can therefore not be generalized. The approach is applied in a specific environment, namely, the State of Puebla and the Metropolitan District of Quito. This study incorporates the perception of managers, directors, and/or supervisors involved in continuous improvement processes. Practical implications This paper seeks to provide analytical input. The study is of great interest to researchers, managers, consultants, and professionals linked to projects of continuous improvement who wish to incorporate continuous improvement practices which are sustainable over time. A new managerial behavior is the basis of continuous improvement, where the training and development of the human resource increases the commitment to achieve organizational changes. Originality/value This research makes an empirical contribution to the literature through the understanding of practices of continuous improvement in a Latin American context, highlighting the factors that improve or impede the process of continuous improvement. Particularly in Mexico and Ecuador, the empirical evidence on this subject is still scarce despite the existence of theoretical academic literature.

Desde que Masaaki lmai acuño el término de Kaizen a mediados de los años ochenta, este se ha visto como un elemento clave para la competitividad de las empresas japonesas. No obstante, y a pesar de que el Kaizen ha sido definido por el autor que condujo a la luz el término, todavía sigue existiendo en la literatura sobre el tema cierta ambigüedad e inconsistencia. Además, existe una clara necesidad de desarrollar esta teoría en el campo de la dirección de operaciones.El propósito de este trabajo es analizar el Kaizen en la literatura académica y práctica con el fin de mejorar, explorar y hacer una contribución a su potencial perfil teórico. Se realizó una revisión de la literatura usando Kaizen como término de búsqueda en varias bases de datos: Proquest, Business Source Elite, Business Source Premier, Emerald, Science Direct and Google Scholar. También se consultaron libros escritos tanto por académicos como por los que lo practican. La literatura concerniente al Kaizen fue metodológicamente analizada y clasificada. Los hallazgos del estudio indican que el Kaizen es presentado bajo tres perspectivas o esferas, que incluyen una serie de principios y técnicas. Comparando los tres puntos de vista, emergieron un conjunto de principios y/o piedras angulares.<br /><br />Since Masaaki 'mai coined the term Kaizen in the mid eighties it has been regarded as a key element in the competitiveness of Japanese companies. However, even though Kaizen was defined by the author who created the term, writings by scholars and practitioners in the field exhibit a certain degree of ambiguity and inconsistency. Finally, there is a clear need to develop this theory in the field of operations management. Kaizen in the academic and practitioner literature in order to better understand it and further explore and contribute to its potential theoretical profile. A literature review was carried out using Kaizen as a search term. Various databases were used for this purpose: Proquest, Business Source Elite, Business Source Premier, Emerald, Science Direct and Google Scholar. Books written by both scholars and by practitioners on the subject were also consulted. The literature concerning Kaizen was methodically analyzed and categorized. The findings of the study indicate that Kaizen is presently displayed under three perspectives or spheres, which include a series of principies and techniques. By comparing the three viewpoints, a set of guiding principies and/or cornerstones for Kaizen have also emerged.

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La industria del fútbol ha experimentado en los últimos años un extraordinario crecimiento que se ha representado entre el 10 y el 15% dependiendo de su mercado por algunos autores. Sin embargo, se pronostica que este crecimiento presente una desaceleración en los años venideros como resultado la crisis económica y financiera en el ámbito global de 2008-2009. Por lo tanto, algunas de estas organizaciones deportivas dedicadas al fútbol en México han comenzado a trabajar en modelos de gestión orientados a la mejora continua (Kaizen en su término en japonés), la gestión de calidad y la planificación estratégica. De esta manera, el propósito principal de la investigación es comprender la aplicación del Kaizen en un contexto tan específico como lo es una organización deportiva dedicada al fútbol. A través de un método cualitativo del caso de estudio se logró comprender que la aproximación gerencial del Kaizen puede ayudar a una organización deportiva a mejorar su sistema de gestión y, por lo tanto, obtener mejores resultados deportivos. Un esquema teórico de la gestión de la mejora continua es el resultado final de esta investigación.