Continuous Improvement Tools and Their Benefits

One of the most frequent questions I am asked as an expert in implementing systems of continuous improvement is: What are the benefits of applying a continuous improvement system? It is very important to be clear about why a company should decide to apply a system like this. If we do not clearly show the vision and the impact that it can cause within the organization, both at each of the collaborator's level as well as the company's, we may face problems with our staff when implementing it. This is why I am addressing in this blog post the main implications that applying Continuous Improvement has on the organization as well as on its collaborators.

What is Focused Improvement and Continuous Improvement?

We can find many definitions of these two concepts however, from our point of view and based on the experiences I have had, I can summarize these topics in:

A) Stabilizing processes for continuous improvement

It is common to find deviations on our procedures or maybe just slight changes in some elements that participate in the process that have not been updated to what we call "Prevention of Recurrence", so we place them at the system level, within the procedures and company specifications.

B) Improving Continuous Improvement processes

In the early stages of the implementation of any system we focus on stabilizing everything. Then we get to the mentioned stage of making them more robust and better, which allows us to gain ground in the field of competitiveness against similar products or services, or even with substitute products or services, which seek to displace ours or those of the same industry. This is why this concept is directed 100% towards a continuous improvement, to never stop getting better, to always create innovative ideas.

What is the objective of applying focused improvement and continuous improvement tools?

1. Improve processes and give stability to the companies, which allows having an objective reference point in order to compete with the different markets as well as to have an insight of where the company is placed at, in time and manner.
2. Decrease production costs, which might probably allow to decrease the cost of our product giving it a bigger chance to compete in the market for which it was designed and thus, gain ground against our competitors.
3. Increase the quality of our products, processes and services. This is definitely a plus for our clients, since they will get a better quality product at a competitive price. One step towards premiumization.
4. Increase Productivity. The equipment will be more efficient and have less failures or mean less problems to our operators, which provides trustability and satisfaction both to the company and to the employees as well. It also affects production costs.
5. Make companies more competitive in a globalized world; give them the opportunity to enter new markets since Continuous Improvement increases the competitiveness of a company. All this, due to a natural movement that all companies long for, however, there are companies that seek to maintain themselves first, slowing the decrease of their commercial participation. This is why it is very important to always look at the company's future, to always dream about where we want to be.

Benefits of Continuous Improvement program for employees/collaborators

• Constant training which increases the knowledge and abilities of our collaborators
• Cultural change of collaborators towards a sense of belonging with the company
• Turn the collaborators ideas into reality in terms of improving processes and at their working site.
• Awake their intuition in order to always keep improving their processes, focused on being implied and on the productivity increase.
• Know and feel that their are listened to and see their ideas become a reality. To me, this is what matters most.

Continuous improvement tools provide lots of benefits that help us become more efficient and translate that efficiency to our clients's satisfaction. When implementing these tools, one must fight against the natural resistance that every human has towards change. Which is why, implementing a Continuous Improvement project is a challenge at many levels within the organization: strategic, operational and cultural.

Learn more about Casa Sauza's modernization processes in the following links:

• TPM, an Improvement in Working Culture
• Casa Sauza, a Sustainable Company with a Sense of Belonging.
• Monozukuri forum
• Continuous Improvement at Casa Sauza
• Lean Manufacturing in Tequila
• What is The Gentle Extraction of Agave Sugar?

Come to Casa Sauza yourself and see how with the modernization of our tequila production processes, we have managed to deliver the purest tequila in the industry.