Introduction
In business, Gemba describes the location where value is produced. The phrase usage began in manufacturing but has now spread to various sectors (Adler, 2013; Ranjan & Shinde, 2018). Gemba Walk may assist operation managers and supply chain management in reconciling all businesses’ vertical and horizontal characteristics regardless of the work performed. Getting information from workers on what is going properly and wrong in a certain operation is an important part of going to Gemba (Reid & Sanders, 2019). The paper defines “going to the Gemba” and how it relates to both Operations Management and supply chain management.
The connection between Going to Gemba and Operation Management
A walk to “the real place” is important to operation management. The need for increasingly having a properly running organization has only raised the necessity of knowing what is happening at “the real location.” Gemba walk necessitates the promotion of warehousing, distribution, and logistics solution design, development, and implementation (Helmold, 2020). In this situation, measuring and reporting on the efficacy of departmental activities and operations is crucial (Mičieta et al., 2022). Work instructions and standard operating procedures must also be created and maintained to provide a favorable work environment.
Supply Chain Management and Gemba
To stay competitive in a global supply chain where interruptions are becoming more regular, managers must embed resilience and agility into their procurement. This implies diversifying the business’ sources geographically. However, locating and adding suppliers is difficult, and growing an organization’s supply chain while sustaining production and quality requirements levels is very difficult. Hugos (2018) states that supply chain executives must drive organizational efficiency and improve information exchange.
Conclusion
The article looked at the meaning of Gemba and the relationship it has with operation management and supply chain management. The article revealed that the Gemba walk is essential in any field of business where productivity is of interest. Managers must take Gemba walk to make sure the business is in order.
References
Adler, D. (2013). Go to the Gemba: Deborah Adler at TEDxRVA 2013. YouTube. Web.
Helmold, M. (2020). Lean Management in Operations. In Lean Management and Kaizen (pp. 65-72). Web.
Hugos, M. H. (2018). Essentials of supply chain management. John Wiley & Sons.
Mičieta, B., Howaniec, H., Biňasová, V., Kasajová, M., & Fusko, M. (2022). Increasing Work Efficiency in a Manufacturing Setting Using Gemba Walk. Web.
Ranjan, S. K., & Shinde, D. K. (2018). Implementing Lean Manufacturing Technique in Fabrication Process Planning–A Case Study. International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN, 2395-0056. Web.
Reid, R. D., & Sanders, N. R. (2019). Operations management: an integrated approach. John Wiley & Sons.