M.Tech. (Operations Management) / The research is about the application of lean manufacturing tool known as manufacturing kaizen in order to improve a work process at . The company is based in Kempton Park, South Africa, used as a case study to evaluate the benefit of manufacturing kaizen at a specific industrial concern. The research demonstrated how manufacturing kaizen when used appropriately can help APSAP PTY LTD to eliminate waste, have better inventory control, short process cycle times, and better overall financial and operational procedures. The goal was to reduce the identified waste using manufacturing kaizen tool. Waste reduction eventually reduced the cycle time of the work process. The primary objective of the thesis was to study and analyze the cylinder preparation process in APSAP PTY LTD. The process activities were captured, then analyzed using the process map. The secondary objective was to identify waste in the process. Major businesses in South Africa have been trying to adopt new business initiatives in order to stay competitive. One way to increase this is to apply proper manufacturing strategy and use of lean manufacturing or continuous improvement tools to achieve business objective which is to stay competitive and to increase profit. The research addresses the application of a lean manufacturing tool called manufacturing kaizen. Manufacturing kaizen refers to a technique used for improving a work process by the eliminating waste within that process in the organization. It is one of the improvement tools that focus on cost reduction by eliminating non-value added activities. Kaizen achieves the elimination of waste by empowering people with tools and a process to uncover improvement opportunities and make change. Participants are key aspect in implementing the manufacturing kaizen event, since they are the people directly involved. Identifying the key people that will be used in the manufacturing kaizen event is very crucial for the success of the event. Any changes or improvements of the process will have direct impact to the people. It is important that people who are directly affected by change become part of the process and feel empowered. Kaizen understands waste to be any activity that is not value adding from the perspective of the customer. The research unpacks manufacturing Kaizen and looks into its qualitative nature and its application within a working environment and how it influence productivity. It also investigates how this tool can be applied in a process or chemical industry and the benefits it can provide to an organization. The initial step in the approach was to outline data collected and examining techniques used to collect the data. The researcher carried out direct observation as he was physically present, and personally monitored what was taking place. The results show that labor productivity can be improved over time after the introduction of manufacturing kaizen. It concludes that with the introduction of manufacturing kaizen, transformation at workplace can be established leading to productivity improvement within an organization. The research has shown that with the proper use of manufacturing kaizen , waste reduction can be achieved.

M.Ing. / The principles of lean were understood to be relevant to the operations of a manufacturing enterprise meaning processes associated with material supply, component production and delivery of products and services to the customer. It was identified there was growing awareness that lean principles could be transferred readily to other functions and sectors. The purpose of the study was to investigate the application of lean principles to knowledgebased activities such as engineering design and product development. The organization under study was Olifant Manufacturing Company (OMC), a division of British Aerospace Systems, Land Systems South Africa. Lean product developments (LPD) was identified as one of the leading approaches currently adopted by organizations attempting to maximize value, increase quality, shorten lead times, and lower the costs for product development (PD) processes. The justification for the research was due to and in response to current adverse market trends. There would be the adoption of processes that would radically reduce the product development lead time, product introduction lead time to market, increase process efficiency and product quality and reduce development costs at OMC. The problem statement was formulated as: “Would the researched Lean principles enable OMC to improve its traditional PD to LPD?” The Life Cycle Management (LCM) framework was the mandated organizational framework that guided the execution of projects at BAE Systems The development of the research literature was guided by research questions that sought to identify the relevant framework that would be tailored within the overarching (LCM) framework to enable process improvements. The main findings were that Lean transformation is an organizational journey that would begin with a top down philosophy or strategy approach. Aspects of Lean Product Development were identified and were found to be integrated into a system framework that integrated the transformation of people, processes and tools and technologies.