Consulting services are offered at a nominal fee to companies, which are striving to improve the business performance. The aim is to fully utilize the talent of people and matching that with the corporate strategy to benefit for all.

Table of Contents

Areas of focus *

1. Lean Manufacturing/Just-in-Time Manufacturing:

Focus is on: "Elimination of Waste". The flip side of the coin is "Appreciation and utilization of everybody's talent." The work involves the analysis of operations to identify the bottle neck and develop the flow that reduces lead time and improves productivity and quality to satisfy customers. This service corresponds to my book titled, "The New Manufacturing Challenge".

2. Total Quality Management/Mini-Company/Glass Wall Management

Focus is on streamlining and clarifying the managerial process within the company. It is to create an environment, which brings out the self-initiative of people. Also, it is to create a cohesive team of people who can smoothly communicate with each other across the organization in order to meet the needs of customers. This service correspond to my second book titled, "The New Shop Floor Management".

3. Integrative Approaches to Achieve Excellence

Addressing the needs of an organization often requires coordination of various approaches and principles. To do this effectively, various issues need to be worked on simultaneously and in an organic manner to achieve excellent company operations. Beyond those two focused areas, my background covers corporate strategy, marketing strategy and organizational development tied to the essence of human nature. In this integrative approach, the client and I will work together to address the issues in a holistic manner to bring out the best of people.

Whichever the focus areas we are to address, typical implementation process goes through a very dynamic evolutionary process. In all cases, organization needs to develop what I call the heartbeat of continuous improvement or what is known as Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle. There are various hurdles, which need to be overcome before things get streamlined and start humming. While technical hurdles may be exposed and worked out in this process, my experience is that ultimately it is the people's mind set or old habitual patterns, that need to be addressed most. Once this major hurdle is overcome, ultimately, it brings out the most sustainable competitive advantage any organization can establish.

The most typical process of work is as follows:

The first step is to assess the situation by conducting interviews and collecting pertinent information from various people of organization from top management to the people at the front line of the operation. By going through this Check and Act steps of PDCA starting with C(Check), I will then propose ideas that are discussed with clients to be agreed upon as Plans for implementation. The next is a Do step of this PDCA cycle.

After a certain interval to implement ideas/plans, which may vary between one month to three months or so, the client and I will get together to go through the process of exchanging information and ideas. In other words, this is to go through the Check process again to continue the PDCA cycle. Following this Check step, we will next analyze what went right or wrong, and why. What lessons have been learned and plan the next step. These are the Act and Plan steps of PDCA. In this way, the client and I will go through periodic interactive process to get things moving forward. In a way, this may be compared to setting up a base camp periodically in climbing a mountain and work on reaching the peak collectively. Here, the PDCA cycle is seen like an engine at the core.

From my experiences in working with hundreds of companies around the world, I believe that this approach helps to utilize the most of people's talent and create commitment in a most pragmatic manner at minimum involvement of the consultant. As it should be obvious, my role will be that of the catalyst. In this engagement, we are to clarify the vision, develop ideas and approaches, and work together to put the whole processes in place to make things happen.

* If there are those who are interested in such consulting service, I strongly recommended to read my books before making any further inquiry. My books should tell what I recommend to practice. Also, it is noted that I offer such services to both manufacturing and service industries.

The details of my professional fee schedule, scope and specific arrangement will be discussed by e-mail. (Suzaki@prodigy.net)

Over the last ten years or more, I have had an ongoing affiliation with two consulting companies. Both of them have translated my books to their languages and helped me to conduct my seminars and consulting locally. One is Bekaert Consulting in Europe (Spain). The other is Productivity and Quality Management Consultants in Asia (Indonesia). As much as I have visited them, conducted seminars and consulting on many occasions and that they have a deep understanding of my work, it may be possible for potential clients to contact them. I am sure that both of these companies are more than willing to give good references and guidance. It may be that I and they may be able to work together on the project as well.

Another potential is to form a Users' Group. There have been many cases in various parts of the world that this happened successfully. As I described the detail of such an activity in my New Shop Floor Management book, one may consider forming such a local users' group as well.

As posted at my home page, this club is organized to provide the forum to share the experience and exchange ideas on the public forum. Even though the activity has not gotten much attention now, I will plan to stop by every now and then and post articles of interest at this club.