Effects of 5S and Kaizen applications on operation performance: A study at furniture sector

A company can survive as long as it meets the needs of the customers and satisfy them, and as long as it goes on its operations feeling the difficulty of keeping pace with the market conditions changing rapidly by global thinking and accepting the innovations. A company can be at the top in institutionalization and being at the top struggle on possible conditions in the future by providing its development using simple production methods and by competing with the global market. In association of the employees, simple production methods must be used to increase the company's profitability, to form a strong company capital, to catch a dynamic change and development process. The aim of the study is to decrease the loss, to increase the productivity and to improve the work conditions at bed production department of a large-scale company operating at a furniture production field in Kayseri by Kobetsu-Kaizen and 5S approaches. Work load imbalance and transports are minimized, production capacity is increased by about %13, quality errors are decreased by about %46 as a result of bed line improvement project with the 5S and Kobetsu-Kaizen study. Cost minimization is carried out about 192.000 TL with material, labour, location arrangement, investment saving, machine revision. Benefit/cost ratio of the project is calculated as 16,13. Company performance is increased, the innovations in various fields are integrated into the system and consistency is provided, studies and targets are disseminated to whole employees with this study. The studies are changed into an open structure which can be used and adapted by comparing for other departments. Moreover, achievements in subjects like ISG, ergonomi, 5S, quality awareness, employee motivation, production awareness.