-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueThe Growing Industry
In this issue of PCB007 Magazine, we talk with leading economic experts, advocacy specialists in Washington, D.C., and PCB company leadership to get a well-rounded picture of what’s happening in the industry today. Don’t miss it.
The Sustainability Issue
Sustainability is one of the most widely used terms in business today, especially for electronics and manufacturing but what does it mean to you? We explore the environmental, business, and economic impacts.
The Fabricator’s Guide to IPC APEX EXPO
This issue previews many of the important events taking place at this year's show and highlights some changes and opportunities. So, buckle up. We are counting down to IPC APEX EXPO 2024.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
Estimated reading time: 1 minute
All About Flex: Flexible Circuits and Kaizen Events
All Flex uses a variety of different tools and techniques in its continuous improvement efforts. A Kaizen event or Blitz is one technique that has resulted in significant improvements in our yields, productivity and customer satisfaction. A Kaizen event is a short-term effort using a dedicated team that is highly focused on improving a narrowly defined process. Kaizen teams usually consist of 3–8 members that include operators, engineers and other support personnel. The implementation phase of the event usually lasts 3–6 working days and the team members are removed from their daily duties to focus 100% of their time on the Kaizen effort. A Kaizen event is highly structured, and while the exact steps may vary from project to project, the process consists of three phases:
- Planning and preparation
- Implementation
- Follow-up and tracking
Action items, analysis and recommendations are formally documented during each phase. The first step is to select and define the project. Kaizen events, as well as other improvement efforts, are selected based on a Pareto analysis that is presented to the management team. Selection is based on the process improvement that would have the biggest impact on one of the following:
- Scrap
- Throughput
- Quality
- Customer satisfaction
The planning and preparation phase of a Kaizen blitz can take 2–6 weeks. During this phase, the project charter is defined, a team is chosen, data collected and project orientation is performed. The Kaizen event can be disruptive, so the affected departments need to plan on how to deal with the potential disruptions.
Editor's Note: This article is originally published in the April 2016 issue of The PCB Magazine.
More Columns from All About Flex
All About Flex: Terms and ConditionsAll About Flex: ISO 9001 Basics
All About Flex: FAQs on UL Listings for Flexible Circuits
All About Flex: Avoiding Trace Fracturing in a Flexible Circuit
Polyimide vs. Silicone for Flexible Heaters
All About Flex: Copper Thickness Requirements for Flex Circuits
All About Flex: Copper Grain Direction
All About Flex: Options for Purchasing Flexible Heaters