The Japanese term for continuous improvement used in lean supply chains is Kaizen.
Kaizen literally means “improvement” or “change for the better.” In business English, it describes a culture of ongoing, incremental improvement involving everyone from senior managers to frontline workers. The approach is strongly associated with Toyota and the Toyota Production System, although its modern industrial use also reflects postwar quality-management ideas introduced to Japan by American advisers.
In supply chains, kaizen can target purchasing, warehousing, transport, production scheduling, or supplier coordination. Teams typically identify waste, test a small change, measure the result, and standardize what works. The PDCA cycle—Plan, Do, Check, Act—is a common structure for this work.
Kaizen is often confused with kanban, jidoka, and poka-yoke. Kanban is a signaling and replenishment method; jidoka means stopping or controlling production when abnormalities occur; poka-yoke is mistake-proofing. Kaizen is the broader improvement philosophy that can use all three.