Kaizen Institute helps its clients to build a sustainable KAIZEN™ Culture

We transfer our knowledge, expertise and skills, creating KAIZENers in our clients' organisations

KI Horigami

Kaizen Institute Singapore

We support companies of all sizes in all market segments, providing them with a sustainable, competitive advantage.

Our Mission

Improving the World with
Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day -
The KAIZEN™ Way

KAIZEN™ means "Change for the Better"

KAI = CHANGE

ZEN = FOR THE BETTER

Our Brand Promise

Authentic

We introduced the KAIZEN™ methodology to the world in 1985

Practical

We make our clients experts in their Gemba

Holistic

Our methods touch everyone in the organisation, working for the same goal and sharing the same KAIZEN™

Worldwide

Our expertise, from helping the world's leading organisations, can be applied to any situation

Why KAIZEN™

We work with our clients to create processes that highlight problems, while simultaneously training and empowering their teams to solve them.

 

We research, develop and publish various aspects of Continuous Improvement, while partnering with our clients, enabling them to implement sustainable improvements through our consulting, training and benchmarking activities and guiding them on their KAIZEN™ journey.

What is KAIZEN™

Company History

The history of Kaizen Institute began in the mid 80's. We have the longest history of consulting and training organizations around the world, specifically in the fields of KAIZEN™, Lean Management and Continuous Improvement.

First KAIZEN™ (Gemba) Tour in Japan organized by Masaaki Imai.

1981

Kaizen Institute, Ltd., a privately held corporation, is founded by Masaaki Imai and registered in the Canton of Zug, Switzerland.

1985

"Kaizen: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success" book is published by Random House Inc.

1986

Kaizen Institute is first registered within the Americas, doing business as Kaizen Institute of America in California, USA.

1987

Kaizen Institute New Zealand is formed and registered in Auckland, New Zealand.

NZ

1988

US

Kaizen Institute America Inc. is incorporated in Delaware, USA.

1990

Kaizen Institute UK is formed and registered in London, England.

UK

Kaizen Institute of Japan, Inc. is founded and registered in Japan as Kabushiki Kaisha KAIZEN™ Kenkyusho.

JP

Kaizen Teaching AG is formed and registered in Zug, Switzerland.

1991

DE

Kaizen Institute Germany is formed and registered in Frankfurt, Germany.

FR

Kaizen Institute France is formed and registered in Paris, France.

1993

Trademark, “GEMBAKAIZEN™”, is filed with US Intellectual Property Office.

1994

Kaizen Institute celebrates its 10th year anniversary.

Kaizen Teaching AG moves from Zug to Altendorf, Switzerland and forms the Regional Office of Kaizen Institute for European Operations.

1995

Kaizen Institute Spain is formed and registered in Barcelona, Spain.

ES

1996

"Gemba Kaizen" book is published by McGraw Hill; now publisher of the book "Kaizen, The Key to Japan's Competitive Success".

1997

Kaizen Institute AG is restructured and moves offices from Baar to Zug, Switzerland.

1998

Kaizen Institute Portugal is formed and registered in Porto, Portugal.

PT

1999

Kaizen Institute celebrates its 15th year anniversary.

Kaizen Institute India is formed and registered in Chennai, India.

IN

2000

IT

Kaizen Institute Italy is formed and registered in Bologna, Italy.

Kaizen Institute's Global Operations based in Zug, Switzerland is launched, with Global Support Units and Regional Support Units.

2003

New business unit development strategy is implemented expanding the global network.

Kaizen Institute Romania is formed and registered in Bucharest, Romania.

RO

Kaizen Institute Czech Republic is formed and registered in Prague, Czech Republic.

CZ

Kaizen Institute Hungary is formed and registered in Budapest, Hungary.

HU

Kaizen Institute Mexico is formed and registered in Mexico City, Mexico.

MX

Kaizen Institute Poland is formed and registered in Wroclaw, Poland.

PL

Kaizen Institute’s first Annual Awards Event (AAE) is held at Euro-Disney in Paris, France.

2004

Kaizen Institute celebrates its 20th year anniversary

MU

Kaizen Institute Africa is formed and registered in Mauritius, to serve the region.

BR

Kaizen Institute Brazil is formed and registered in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Kaizen Institute AG and Kaizen Teaching AG combine both their offices and domicile, and centralize operations in Zug, Switzerland.

Kaizen Institute’s 2nd Annual Awards Event is held in Zug, Switzerland.

2005

Kaizen Institute establishes a legal presence and entity in Hong Kong.

Kaizen Institute’s Management System is conceived and jointly developed by a global coalition of top Kaizen Institute consultants and support team.

Kaizen Institute’s 3rd Annual Awards Event is held in Scottsdale, AZ, USA.

2006

Kaizen Teaching AG is renamed and the legal vision of Kaizen Institute Consulting Group (KICG) is realized.

Kaizen Institute’s 4th Annual Awards Event is held on the island/country of Mauritius, Africa.

2007

Kaizen Institute China is formed and registered in Shanghai, China.

CN

Kaizen Institute Russia is formed and registered in Moscow, Russia.

RU

Kaizen Institute Consulting Group establishes its first Regional Support Unit in Scottsdale, USA for support of operations within the Americas.

Kaizen Institute’s 5th Annual Awards Event is held in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

2008

AT

Kaizen Institute Austria is formed and registered in Salzburg, Austria.

MY

Kaizen Institute Malaysia is formed and registered in Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

CA

Kaizen Institute Canada is formed and registered in Ottawa, Canada.

Kaizen Institute’s 6th Annual Awards Event is held in Venice, Italy.

2009

Kaizen Institute celebrates its 25th anniversary.

Kaizen Institute’s 7th Annual Awards Event is held in Algarve, Portugal.

2010

NL

Kaizen Institute Netherlands is formed and registered in Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.

Gemba Research and their global group of companies join forces with Kaizen Institute’s global footprint.

Kaizen Institute’s 8th Annual Awards Event is held in Auckland, New Zealand.

2011

Kaizen Institute Chile is formed and registered in Santiago de Chile, Chile.

CL

Kaizen Institute’s 9th Annual Awards Event is held in Porto, Portugal.

2012

FI

Kaizen Institute Finland is formed and registered in Helsinki, Finland.

Kaizen Institute’s 10th Annual Awards Event is held in Seattle, WA, USA.

2013

CO

Kaizen Institute Colombia is formed and registered in Bogotá, Colombia.

Kaizen Institute's Global Support Unit structure is improved via four divisions; Business Development, Quality Assurance, Brand Management and Corporate Administration.

Kaizen Institute’s 11th Annual Awards Event is held in Jaipur, India.

2014

Kaizen Institute celebrates its 30th anniversary.

Kaizen Institute Turkey is formed and registered in Istanbul, Turkey.

TR

Kaizen Institute UAE is formed and registered in Dubai, UAE.

AE

Kaizen Institute's Regional Support Unit operation is re-launched based on new legal and operational structures.

Deployment of an improved corporate logo and other enhanced brand standards.

KAFCIA (KAIZEN™ Association for Continuous Improvement Awareness) is established in Switzerland.

Kaizen Institute’s 12th Annual Awards Event is held in Bad Homburg, Germany.

2015

US

Kaizen Institute Online is formed and registred in Lynnwood, Washington.

Kaizen Institute’s 13th Annual Awards Event is held in Calgary, Canada.

2016

Kaizen Institute Ukraine is formed and registered in Kiev, Ukraine.

UA

Kaizen Institute Canada (British Columbia) is formed and registered in Vancouver, Canada.

CA

Kaizen Institute Georgia is formed and registered in Tbilisi, Georgia.

GE

Kaizen Institute Tunisia is formed and registered in Tunis, Tunisia.

TN

Kaizen Institute Morocco is formed and registered in Casablanca, Morocco.

MA

Kaizen Institute Croatia is formed and registered in Zagreb, Croatia.

HR

Kaizen Institute South Africa is formed and registered in Rustenburg, South Africa.

ZA

Kaizen Institute Thailand is formed and registered in Bangkok, Thailand.

TH

Kaizen Institute’s 14th Annual Awards Event is held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Kaizen Institute's new website is developed and launched.

2017

NO

Kaizen Institute Norway is formed and registered in Lysaker, Norway.

US

Kaizen Institute America (New York) is formed and registered in Buffalo, USA.

Kaizen Global Enterprises (KGED) is established in Dubai, UAE, as Kaizen Institute’s global holding and parent licensor for worldwide operations. KGED acquires all Swiss holdings and global operating units.

Kaizen Institute’s 15th Annual Awards Event is held in Cancun, Mexico.

2018

Kaizen Institute Singapore is formed and registered in Singapore.

SG

Kaizen Institute Consulting Group is merged into Kaizen Institute, Ltd. (KIAG), establishing KIAG as the global licensor for all of Kaizen Institute’s worldwide licensing and support operations.

Kaizen Institute’s 16th Annual Awards Event is held in Krakow, Poland.

2019

LV

Kaizen Institute Latvia is formed and registered in Riga, Latvia.

Kaizen Institute’s 17th Annual Awards Event is held virtually.

Kaizen Institute celebrates its 35th year anniversary.

2020

Strategic KAIZEN™ book is published by McGraw Hill.

KAFCIA is established in the DMCC of Dubai, UAE and acquires the KAFCIA AG operations in Switzerland.

KAIZEN™ Foundation is established in the DIFC of Dubai, UAE.

Deployment of an improved corporate logo and other enhanced brand standards.

Kaizen Institute’s 18th Annual Awards Event is held virtually.

2021
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Daniel Mirabile - CEO NEC Brazil

"At the first view, it seemed very basic and therefore we would not expect any further improvement on what has been achieved before. But then, the first results were achieved and it was amazing how much inefficiencies still existed, and how simple it was to improve further. As soon as the first results became visible to everyone, it created a motivation to challenge the status quo and to improve continuously. A new DNA was created, enabling sustainability."


Daniel Mirabile - CEO


NEC Brazil S.A., Brazil

KAIZEN™ Methodology Development History

The KAIZEN™ methodology has been gradually developed over many decades. It was publically and officially introduced to the world in the 1980’s as a systematic methodology through the best selling book "KAIZEN™" by Masaaki Imai, the founder of Kaizen Institute.

Masaaki Imai

Masaaki Imai is born in Tokyo, Japan.

The first domestic automotive production is planned in Japan and the Just-In-Time concept is observed.

Masaaki Imai
30's

World War II to post war economic reform period in Japan.

40's

Imai works at the Japan Productivity Center in the USA and accompanies Japanese executives to visit and learn from US manufacturers.

Japanese companies gain strength in their quality and world wide competitiveness.

50's

Imai works with Shoichiro Toyoda to observe the American way of business.

60's
Masaaki Imai

Imai works internationally with Taiichi Ohno to spread the message of the Toyota Production System (TPS).

80's
Masaaki Imai

KAIZEN™ is introduced to the world for the first time, as a systematic management methodology.

1986

KAIZEN™ appears for the first time as a word in the Oxford dictionary.

The term Lean was coined.

Masaaki Imai

Lean concepts are promoted through Various publications, to include Imai’s GEMBAKAIZEN™ book.

Tools, such as Six Sigma, gain popularity though clouding the importance of a systematic approach.

Kaizen Institute continues to offer practical, hands-on methods that fit the local culture and business practice, when implementing KAIZEN™ within organisations.

90's

KAIZEN™ Management System (KMS) is developed, to help companies to improve based on a systematic QCD Model.

KAIZEN™ Change Model (KCM) is added to enhance a KAIZEN™ culture, mind-set and behaviours of the organisation.

Many corporations start developing their own Improvement Strategies based on KAIZEN™, seeking to gain sustainable improvements and a competitive advantage within their markets.

00's

KAIZEN™ Business System (KBS) supports organisations to achieve Continuous Improvement and sustanaible growth.

Kaizen Institute continues to spear-head global development for the KAIZEN™ methodology, bringing awareness to Everyone, Everywhere, Everyday.

Today
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KAIZEN™ World Map

Countries we service and where we have Kaizen Institute offices

Countries we service

Select country

Contact

Kaizen Institute
Singapore
3 Temasek Avenue, 21st Floor,
Centennial Tower
Singapore 039190 

Tel: +65 6829 7015
sg.kaizen.com
sg@kaizen.com

Contact us

Masaaki Imai
Founder of Kaizen Institute

Known as the father of Continuous Improvement, Masaaki Imai has been a pioneer and leader in spreading the KAIZEN™ philosophy globally. Masaaki Imai founded Kaizen Institute in 1985, to help companies around the world to implement the methodology of KAIZEN™ and claims that all companies should employ KAIZEN™ as their corporate strategy. Over the last three decades, Imai has authored books and articles, and held lectures on KAIZEN™ and Lean, quality, leadership and other related management subjects. Imai understands the steps required to bring a company to the next level and to achieve high performance, focusing on the processes rather than the results.

Books written by Masaaki Imai

  • 2012: "Gemba Kaizen: A Commonsense Approach to a Continuous Improvement Strategy, 2nd Edition" (McGraw Hill)
  • 1997: "Gemba Kaizen: A Commonsense, Low-cost Approach to Management" (McGraw Hill)
  • 1986: "Kaizen: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success" (McGraw Hill)
  • 1975: "Never Take Yes for an Answer: An Inside Look at Japanese Business"

Request Masaaki Imai as a featured Speaker

Masaaki Imai continues to play a significant role as the ambassador and visionary of the organisation while actively participating in conferences around the world, spreading his unique, convincing message of KAIZEN™. Choose one of the following services:

Speaking engagement

Masaaki Imai holds speeches about KAIZEN™, Lean and Continuous Improvement related topics at public or private events and conferences.

Company visit and Gemba walk

Masaaki Imai visits your organisation, conducts Gemba walks, and shares his insight for improvement. This is a great opportunity to increase the motivation and morale of the people within the organisation, at any levels.

Our Origami Symbols

Our corporate symbol is the butterfly that symbolises transformation

Japan's origami requires determination and precision, something very similar to KAIZEN™

KI Horigami

The four butterflies symbolise the importance of coordinated activities in four distinctive areas

KI Horigami

The owl symbolises the willingness to gain wisdom and knowledge and represents our training & education services

KI Horigami

The owl on a cloud represents our online learning methods to expand knowledge

KI Horigami

The dove symbolises our events & conferences programmes, bringing news and messages about KAIZEN™

KI Horigami

The dolphin symbolises our networking events, as they have high social competence

KI Horigami

The star represents excellence and success and symbolises our KAIZEN™ Award programmes

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The seagull symbolises a traveler and represents our KAIZEN™ Benchmark Tours

KI Horigami

The cherry blossom symbolises KAIZEN™ Insight Tours in Japan, both rare occasions for one to witness and experience

KI Horigami

Are you interested in Kaizen Institute Singapore's consulting services?

We assist client teams in achieving great results by rapidly putting ideas into action.

Are you interested in Kaizen Institute Singapore's training services?

Kaizen Institute's distinctive training programme includes learning the theory and practice, and Gemba visits whenever possible.

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