The productivity of companies in the metalworking sector plays a fundamental role in maintaining competitiveness and operational efficiency. However, many small and medium-sized enterprises face productivity issues due to inefficient processes, lack of standardized procedures, and inadequate organization of the workspace. These problems lead to longer processing times, low operator performance, and operational inefficiencies that negatively affect production performance. In this regard, it is important to identify the main causes of these issues in order to implement improvement strategies that optimize production processes. This research proposes the implementation of continuous improvement tools, particularly the Kaizen methodology, focused on process standardization, waste reduction, and workplace organization. The main objective of this study is to improve operational efficiency and productivity in a metalworking company through the application of standardized procedures and continuous improvement practices. The results obtained after implementation demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposal, achieving a 9.9% reduction in operator utilization and a decrease of 1.10 hours in processing time, in addition to improving workspace organization, which allows these improvements to be replicated in other areas of the company.

Keywords

Productivity, 5S, Kaiezen