CWS goes Kaizen: Working together for more efficient processes

To identify problems and optimise processes, CWS uses the so-called Kaizen method, which is often used in Lean Management. 

Kaizen Glattbrugg

Individual expert advice

Non-binding and competent for your industry

Already a customer?
Hidden Fields

Information on the processing of your personal data can be found here

13 October 2022

Anyone involved in Lean Management will certainly come across the term “Kaizen” at some point. The Japanese expression can be roughly translated as “to improve continuously”. The Kaizen method is therefore a management philosophy that aims to achieve improvements with small steps and thus achieve great entrepreneurial success in the long term. And since continuous improvement is essential for the progress and success of a company, CWS has also been using the Kaizen method for several years. 

Improvement, one step at a time 

The Kaizen method was put into practice at CWS during a four-day event at the Swiss branch in Glattbrugg. There, an interdisciplinary group of employees came together to discuss the daily challenges in the areas of logistics, mat laundry, customer care and telesales. The aim was to identify opportunities for more efficient work processes in the laundry. The team that came together first determined the usual walking routes of the employees. They then changed the arrangement of the contact points in the laundry so that shorter and more targeted routes were created. 

Kaizen in practice – at CWS 

The work process was improved so that it was possible to load the washed, dried and rolled mats onto trolleys and take them directly to the service area. Interim storage was thus no longer necessary. For the laundry staff, this means that they will be able to process 15 percent more mats per hour in the future. Everyone involved was highly satisfied with this result. „The important thing about a Kaizen event is to share the responsibility within the team,“ says Steffen Langner, Head of Continuous Improvement at CWS. „It’s about discussing the different points of view openly. One person alone can never bring about as big an improvement as a whole group. That’s why there are no hierarchies in Kaizen. Each person has equal voting rights and the team’s ideas and suggestions complement each other. The practical test then shows what is possible. In the end, a new process is jointly adopted and implemented by those responsible on site. In this way, many small improvements add up to one big leap.” 

The Kaizen event consequently ensured greater efficiency - and ultimately the environment also benefits from this as well. After all, only when work processes are subject to continuous improvement will this lead to less waste of resources and lower energy consumption. 

Our latest Sustainability Report tells you how CWS is already working to create a healthier and safer world for future generations.