Lean manufacturing · Kaizen
The PDCA cycle: the order behind Kaizen
Plan, do, check, act. Where each step of the cycle sits in an improvement record.
13 October 2026 · 1 min
Yokoten: taking what works in one place everywhere
The same problem exists on other lines and in other plants. How to plan and track the roll-out of a good practice.
11 October 2026 · 1 min read
Yokoten is the horizontal spread of a solution found in one area to similar areas. In many companies a good Kaizen stays on the line where it was made; other lines live with the same problem for years.
How does it work?
- Source: a completed Kaizen, Poka-Yoke or CAPA.
- Target areas: similar machines, products or processes.
- Decision: each target applies, adapts or declines with a reason.
- Tracking: a plant × practice matrix shows who stands where.
In a multi-plant company
Roll-out suggestions can cross plant boundaries; each plant makes its own decision and the result appears in one table at the centre.
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