The AIDC’s Supplier and Enterprise Development Department (SEDD) Automotive Kaizen Programme is the first runner up for a prestigious award during the Southern Africa Institute for Industrial Engineers (SAIIE)’s Awards. AIDC CEO Mr. Lance Schultz says “this as a huge achievement for us and shows that the supplier competitiveness programme is being recognised by role players in the industry”.
The SAIIE nominated the Kaizen Programme as one of two finalists in the category: Best Industrial Engineering Work in Industry. The Automotive Kaizen Programme is based on the Toyota Production System (TPS), a manufacturing system that seeks to optimize the entire system thorough reduction of non-value-added activities and elimination of waste one by one at minimal cost, by employees using their knowledge to increase efficiency in the workplace. It also aims to build quality into the manufacturing process whilst recognizing the principle of cost reduction.
A Senior Project Manager of the SEDD department Mr. Sydney says “we know that our Automotive Kaizen Programme, is one of the best programmes in South Africa. The programme has recently been enhanced by specialists and experts in the Kaizen field from Japan where our team underwent a comprehensive five-year training and were certified to implement Kaizen by Japanese experts.”
The SEDD was established to drive competitiveness for the automotive industry’s tier 1, 2, and 3 suppliers. SEDD assistance includes a combination of improvement interventions related to productivity, quality assurance, quality management systems such as ISO 9001: 2015, and management systems e.g. automotive quality management such as AITF 16949: 2016 or the Core Tools. It includes environmental (ISO 14001: 2015), lean and clean (e.g. green initiatives as related to the Government’s low carbon economy projects or ISO 50001: 2018 related to energy management systems) manufacturing concepts and logistics enhancement programmes. As a way forward, the SEDD will introduce its programme to industries outside the auto sector to grow Kaizen in South Africa.
Mr. Claude Pillay who is the acting SEDD manager said that “Although we missed the first place this year, it will not stop us from striving for excellence”
For any enquiries regarding this programme, please contact the SEDD Senior Project Manager Sydney Theko, at 012 564 5324 or e-mail: stheko@aidc.co.za.