Truth, Bit, Pull

In 1998, after an introduction from Boeing, Kaas Tailored began the journey with lean. We took our first group to Japan to tour a Toyota manufacturing facility and learn about lean manufacturing, “The Toyota Way,” and Kaizen.

As we started removing waste together, we began to see how the individual Kaizen tools replaced our bad habits with good ones. We have taken what we learned from Kaizen, Lean Improvement, and the Toyota Way and turned it into our own culture of continuous improvement.

Truth

Before we can change, we have to understand that waste is a problem, then we have to decide we want to change. At Kaas Tailored, we know and show this truth by designing systems and processes that align with proven principles of success and reducing waste, which leads to joyful work and increased profit. 

This is why we have adopted a culture of continuous improvement. We use what we have learned from lean manufacturing and Kaizen as we design our systems and processes to help us create a culture of continuous improvement.

Bit

We have learned the value of producing in “bit” rather than “batch.” This allows us to be able to catch and correct defects as they arise instead of discovering them at the end of the process, which results in a lot of waste.

Bit is taking work and dividing it up into the little bits, as close to One-Piece Flow as possible. Examples include building one chair at a time, a face-to-face conversation, making one coffee drink at a time, and daily meetings.

Batch is when an operation is completed in a grouping all at once. The risk is that if there is one defect in the batch, there are likely more defects throughout the entire batch. Examples include building all 20 chair arms at once, writing a group email, making a pot of coffee, and quarterly meetings.

Pull

We have learned the value of pulling from our clients rather than pushing onto them. This allows us to only build exactly what our customer wants when they want it. Using the concept of pull allows us to deliver high-quality solutions at a lower cost and lead time than our competition. 

Pull is when the customer is at the center calling the shots. Examples of pull include signals telling the team when to work and when not to work, allowing ‘no’ to be okay, or a face-to-face conversation for feedback on a change you want to make. 

Push is when the supplier is in control. Examples include continuing to work even if the internal customer is not ready for work, not taking no for an answer, or an email recapping what changes you just made. 

Learn more about Truth, Bit, Pull 

If you are interested in learning more about truth, bit, pull, and our journey with continuous improvement, we would love to hear from you. 

We are a teaching factory. We choose to share what we have learned about Kaizen and other continuous improvement principles with other businesses and organizations through our Kaas Waste Tours, which we host in our living, breathing manufacturing facility in Mukilteo, Washington.

At Kaas Tailored, we talk a lot about continuous improvement as a culture. We use words like One-Piece Flow and Kaizen, which can feel confusing if you are just starting your journey. We have put together a small series that explains how we think and talk about reducing waste within our company so that you can have the vocabulary to start identifying waste within your world. Then, we can work together to help you start your own journey of continuous improvement.