The continuous improvement philosophy is becoming more and more popular among organizations who are seeing the potential to enhance efficiency and reduce waste. For those who are keen to try it out for themselves but don’t know where to begin or how to apply it to their industry, we have pulled together a range of real-world examples from well-known businesses who have successfully implemented continuous improvement.
Starbucks
To maintain their title as leading coffee chain with over 30,000 branches on a global scale, Starbucks continues to improve both their product offering and their customer experience. A key example of them applying the continuous improvement philosophy is the introduction of their drive-thru stores, allowing customers on the go to order in a quick and efficient manner. Not only has this improved convenience, but it subsequently reduced wait times which results in a higher satisfaction rate.
Amazon
Known for being a forward-thinker in the industry, Amazon continues to improve their business to adapt to the ever changing needs of the market. By utilizing the capabilities of their fulfillment centers, they are able to carry out thorough data analysis to finetune their processes and maintain their fast delivery times without compromising on service. The more recent addition of their Kiva robots allows the picking of goods to be automated, improving accuracy and creating a more efficient system.
Toyota
The Toyota Production System (TPS) completely revolutionized the automotive industry and set the basis for many of the lean manufacturing philosophies we use today. Continuous improvement translates to "kaizen" in Japanese, a word which is strongly associated with Toyota following their long term status as a global thought leader, continuing to deliver quality to this day. Their business philosophy encourages all employees to find solutions to the problems faced, minimizing waste and creating new innovation that creates breakthroughs in the industry.
NASA
Following on from the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986, NASA adopted continuous improvement processes to improve their safety and reliability. The Space Shuttle program is an example of thorough analysis which allows them to improve their components and testing process, using continuous improvement to redesign their shuttles. In an upcoming industry which remains to be a learning curve, this program aims to make space travel safer.
Zara
Being a leader in the fast fashion industry, Zara are reported to change their clothing range every two weeks to keep on top of fashion trends and maintain their position as a leader. Since their business model is based on getting new design ideas to the shelf in the quickest possible time, their supply chain must be flexible and responsive. To minimize the impact of fast fashion and ensure that learnings can be taken from any unsuccessful new releases, Zara continues to analyze customer preferences and market trends. This way, their strong position in the market can be maintained and inventory levels can be predicted in a more accurate manner.
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