The significance of kaizen in Engineering Universities of Ethiopia: A review

Abstract

Engineering universities are the firms where technical teaching and research activities are conducted. In this place, a variety of resources are accessed to transform the basic knowledge and skill of engineering and to solve real-world problems. These resources need a kaizen implementation for malfunction protection and waste reduction. Kaizen is a correction tool in the experimental laboratories of engineering universities. It is also applied every day by all individuals and everywhere to bring continuous improvement with low investment costs. The main objective of this review manuscript relies on the significance of kaizen for the reduction of waste in engineering universities. This review also focuses on the application of 5S (sort-set in order-shine- standardize –sustain), and PDCA (plan-do-check-act) cycles in the laboratories of engineering universities. Kaizen implementation methods may vary from organization to organization depending on the available resources like space, equipment, and consumable materials. Indeed, there are no sufficient research outputs related to the significance of kaizen in universities. However, some related research outputs from industries are adapted in universities with certain modifications. This review paper is a qualitative study and is achieved typically via summaries of previously published studies on kaizen implementation in industries, technical colleges, and universities. The findings of researchers on the practices of kaizen indicated promising results on housekeeping and waste reduction. In general, a comprehensive research study should be made on the implementation techniques and sustainability of 5S in the laboratories of engineering universities.