Kaizen Is a Solution that Deals with the Real Cause
Linda Topolsky · 2017
A labeler is a high-performance machine that revolves at a high speed. It is capable of sticking labels onto several hundred bottles a minute. Although the device that feeds the labels holds a considerable number of them, the supply runs out frequently. The operator then has to load another batch of labels. At that point, mistakes sometimes occurred. If people look closely at the labels on bottled beer from the Asahi Brewing Company, people can see two short lines in the top right corner. These marks are the product of kaizen activity to improve the labeling process. Clearly, the mark idea is the more realistic and implementable solution. Anyone could have thought of installing a sensor, because that method is applied in many situations. The idea of marking the labels, however, could have been conceived only by someone who actually worked in the bottle-labeling workplace.