Fleetwood is a large and well respected manufacturer of recreational vehicles with 1999 sales of $1.73 billion.  The Fleetwood name is know for quality.  Customer satisfaction surveys show that 90% of Fleetwood customers would recommend Fleetwood RVs to a friend.

In 1997, Fleetwood's Chico, CA plant had hit a manufacturing plateau.  In order to grow the plant needed more space and productivity without the expense of added labor or new construction - and without sacrificing it's quality reputation.  The plant's operations director discovered kaizen, the Japanese methodology for promoting continuous improvement by reducing waste.

The Plant first in-house kaizen event in July 1998 was very successful:
        - cycle times were reduced 28%
        - work in progress was reduced 73%
        - labor Hours were reduced by 19%
        - floor space waste was reduced 59%
As a result, all of Fleetwood's motor-home plants, including the Decatur IN plant, began using kaizen. 

This effort is the subject of an article in the March 2000 issue of Quality Digest titled "Kaizen at Fleetwood".  Use this link to read the article. 

Attend our November Meeting and learn about kaizen from those who are actually doing it.