The Africa Kaizen Annual Conference was held from the 24th to the 26th of August 2021. The government of Tanzania, the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) hosted the conference in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and online under the theme “Opportunities to Accelerate Industrialization and Trade in Africa: Streamlining Kaizen/QPI with Digital Technologies, Start-ups, SMEs Development and Home-Grown Economic Activities in Africa”.
The Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC) recommended its graduate incubatee from the Incubation Centre at Ford, Jamsco Automotive Assemblies, to participate in the conference after a selection process that included very competitive submissions.
Jamsco Automotive Assemblies is a 100% black female owned business established in 2012 supplying quality parts to Tier 1 supplier Sodecia SA, that end up on the Ford T6 Ranger. The business has more than 50 people working day and night shifts to support the OEM production requirements. With the strategic partnerships formed, Sodecia SA identified an opportunity for Jamsco to supply a pressed component bracket that fits on the dash panel as an engineering change to the Ford T6 Ranger. In addition to supplying more than 360 000 brackets, Jamsco has achieved Zero PPM’s. Jamsco supports Ford with corner hub and brake callipers assemblies, shock absorber and coil springs assemblies, stabilizer bar assemblies, rear axle assemblies and adhering to the strictest safety, quality standards through continuous improvement. Jamsco also does extensive skills training and transfer to people in the neighbouring communities.
The AIDC has supported Jamsco through many Kaizen projects from its time at the AIDC Incubation Centre and even recently as a direct supplier to Ford SA.
Jamsco’s presentation was on reducing the Number of defective axels supplied to customers by using Kaizen methods. The Director for Jamsco, Haley Eagle was accompanied by Joy Tloubatla, an employee responsible for implementing Kaizen, who presented the material.
Although Jamsco did not win in their category Supplier and Enterprise Development Manager at the AIDC. Claude Pillay says “we would like to congratulate them for being short listed to do the presentation. It was not an easy task to put together their presentation and pre-record the video and they were very excited to do all of that without a single complaint.” Jamsco will receive a certificate from JICA for their participation.
Eagle says Haley says” the Jamsco story is one of how the Gauteng government through the AIDC, private business and a willing team achieved excellence”.
” KAIZEN is really applicable in any environment and any sector”. Beauty Mbatyoti –
Project Manager: Supplier and Enterprise Development
“Kaizen is a Japanese word meaning “continuous improvement.”