In his article entitled, Kaizen: Creating a Culture of Continuous Improvement, Mark Graban states:
"The principles of Kaizen are simple. The challenge is changing mindsets (especially of leaders) and creating a culture of continuous improvement."
Manufacturing companies have long been at the zenith of incremental improvements.
These companies release product lines to great fanfare with marketing campaigns and high margins, but as the years roll on they must take more and more costs out of the product to keep it profitable as it ages.
Kaizen is the Japanese discipline of finding opportunities for continuous, incremental improvements. It's become popular around the world. American and European companies now routinely hold Kaizen events.
I've helped a few customers run their Kaizen events myself. What I've learned is:
Successful manufacturing companies are dedicated to improving quality WHILE reducing the cost of producing that quality.
It seems counterintuitive, but the best competitors are able to pull it off. These are the companies you should be investing in, partnering with, and selling to because they will be the winners!