To whom Kaizen is prescribed
The experience of transition of CHPP-3 to the principles of this concept gives positive results
It is generally believed that the basic principles of Japanese economic and financial efficiency are formulated in the Kaizen Concept, which originated in the Land of the Rising Sun. With varying degrees of success, it is spread all over the world. Kaizen ideas, as Kazakhstan’s experience shows, give positive results in our country. Especially at large enterprises, where such elements of the concept as personal discipline, teamwork, high morale and in general – lean production are especially necessary. As well as brainstorming groups and a bank of ideas to improve production activities, motivating employees to innovate and rationalize.
Samruk-Kazyna JSC adheres to this concept, some of its structures successfully apply it in practice or actively implement it. In particular, Kaizen or its elements are already being gradually introduced in the energy companies of the group. In particular, in AlES JSC.
In February 2024, it was decided to launch the deployment of Kaizen system – lean technologies – at the pilot site in the production department of CHPP-3 of AlES JSC.
“The main purpose of the innovation is to form a lean mindset among employees, optimise production and administrative processes and effectively use the available resources of the plant department”, – says Nurlan Zhakan, electrician of relay protection and automation of the electric shop of CHPP-3. – In order to successfully deploy lean technologies at the first stage, a roadmap for Kaizen-technology development at pilot sites was developed”.
In order to further spread the concept and better understand it, a training on “Kaizen Technology Fundamentals” was recently held. It was conducted by Madi Zaniginov, Kaizen & Lean Expert, international certified trainer, author of the Kaizen Store project and founder of Kaizen Solutions, and Azamat Azhigaliyev, Kaizen & Lean in Finance, Toyota Engineering Corporation certified trainer in Cost Management.
A small initiative group was also formed, which is directly responsible for Kaizen deployment within the CHPP-3 department. It consisted of: electrician Nurlan Zhakan from the Electrical Shop, production site foreman Dias Utegenov, electrician for repair and maintenance of electrical equipment Bauyrzhan Kemelzhan, electrician for relay protection and automation Maksat Ospanov; from the Fuel and Transport Shop: Nurbol Shamygulov, a mechanic for repair of road-building machines and tractors; from the Production and Technical Department – Yelmira Turumbetova, a metrology engineer, and Anel Saduakas, a calculations and modes engineer.
Currently, employees at the pilot sites are trained and are successfully deploying Kaizen on the following topics: 5S workspace organisation; business process mapping; problem solving, quality circles, continued Nurlan Askhatuly. – They are closely involved in diagnosing and effectively organising their workplaces, analysing time costs (timekeeping of processes) and solving current issues. They prescribe a plan of action to implement suggestions for improvement.
Recall what the 5S are – or the five basic principles of the Kaizen Concept: Seiri (sorting); Seiton (systematisation); Seiso (keeping clean); Seiketsu (standardisation) and Shitsuke (improvement). Plus the capacious concept of gemba Kaizen, which involves making decisions at the point of workflow and, when problems arise, resolving them.
“My impression of Kaizen is positive, as during the training and implementation into our processes, everyone in the group worked cohesively. Everyone contributed different ideas to improve the work, planned every step”, Anel Saduakas shares the first results. – Already during the training it was clear that effective communication using this methodology, when everyone listens attentively to the interlocutor, shows respect, takes into account the point of view of others and even compliments colleagues, not only improves mood, but also strengthens relationships”.
Yermekkali Kuzeyev, a fifth-grade relay protection and automation electrician, said that if you apply all the principles in your work, you get a tremendous effect. We experienced it ourselves when we started applying this philosophy,” he emphasises. – Later on, we didn’t notice how we developed the habit of acting according to Kaizen. Thanks to Kaizen, we were able to create a culture of continuous improvement, where each employee makes his or her own suggestions for optimizing work,” adds Maksat Ospanov. – This has helped to strengthen team spirit and increase overall productivity”.
Nurbol Shmygulov shared his impressions from the application of 5S principles: “Even during the training, when we started studying the 5S system, and after its implementation in certain areas, it was noticeable that our actions became more systematised, and all items and tools are always at hand. This simplifies the workflow. The application of Kaizen principles has further fostered good relationships between employees. These policies eventually lead to excellent results throughout the company. However, this will take time.
After starting to apply the principles of the Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement in his daily life, Dias Utegenov noticed good results: “Kaizen helps me to get better every day. Gradually, I started to notice that my concentration improved and my stress level decreased. I started to improve my work skills and read more professional literature. Through Kaizen, I realised that small changes and constant striving for improvement can lead to significant results in life. I believe that through this philosophy I can achieve my goals and become the best version of myself”.
Mastered planning and experienced the extraordinary feeling of things seeming to do themselves. This is how project participant Bauyrzhan Kemelzhan described his Kaizen experience.
“I make sure I keep a balance between rest and activity, and I also challenge myself,” he shares his personal results. – I can work through 7-10 beliefs in one week! I can organise my nutrition, succeed in my work tasks, and improve every time. I feel 80% effective because I defined a mission, made a hierarchy of goals, and broke them down into projects.
In the process of training, the motivation system helped me to ‘switch on’ leadership qualities, determination and teamwork. Thanks to this, I quickly went through the core and learnt the supplementary materials, implemented the flow and adapted technically to my criteria”.
“Implementing Kaizen in our workplace has brought significant process improvements. The application of the techniques has allowed us to optimise our work processes and eliminate many inefficiencies”, summarises Nurlan Zhakan. – We have seen a significant reduction in time to complete tasks and fewer errors, which has had a positive impact on our bottom line. There’s no limit to perfection, so we’re going to keep going”.
The first results of the implementation of Kaizen principles at CHPP-3 exceeded expectations, state its participants. Therefore, AlES JSC plans to launch training in the principles of the Kaizen Concept at the Head Office.