Kaizen Institute - Success Story

Healthcare - Diagnostics

Daily KAIZEN™, Breakthrough KAIZEN™

Unilabs St. Gallen

Client Profile

Our client Unilabs St. Gallen is an international Swiss diagnostics company focusing on laboratory diagnostics and radiology, conducting medical analyzes for large parts of the healthcare system in its 230 international laboratories.

Unilabs Client Logo

Improvement Potential

1. Infrastructure

  • 4 different floors
  • The physical layout does not follow the process flow
  • IT-System does not depict the necessary information


2. Process-specific

  • Searching time in the labs (information, samples, serum etc.)
  • Transportation and movement in the labs


3. Laboratories, Workplaces

  • Ergonomics in the labs
  • 20% - 30% of labourtime is for searching, waiting, walking and transportation
  • The flow is not smooth
kaizen-approach-success

Our Approach

  • GEMBAKAIZEN™ Workshops and implementation of KAIZEN™ Tools for minimization and emimination of muda (Waste) in regards to waiting time and transportation time
  • Implementation of a “Flow Organization” (preanalytics, logistics, Laboratories and IT)
  • Creation of an efficient layout over all 4 floors
  • Implementation of a KANBAN controlled logistic-system for “Lab Balancing”
  • Optimization of the interfaces (about information, tubes, samples etc.)
  • Implementation of a Mizusumashi
kaizen-approach-success

Key Results

  • Material Flow (WIP) - 30%
  • Productivity + 15%
  • Waiting Time - 50%
  • Transportation - 50%
  • Customer Service >95%;
  • Work Environment Improvement
  • Overall Lab Efficiency (Lean Lab)
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