Lean Kaizen in Jewellery Industry

Jewellery job flow is often fragmented and arranged functionally by each process, jobs sit in trays or safe rooms waiting for the next process or person. Functional and scattered layouts result in higher lead times and low productivity. Lean Kaizen helps to:

• Map the current value stream from order / design to dispatch: CAD–CAM, wax, tree making, casting, cutting, filing, assembly, stone setting, polishing, final QC and packing.
• Reduce backtracking and waiting by creating flow cells for repetitive product families (e.g., light-weight rings, chains, earrings, bangles).
• Balance work content between processes and people using time & motion studies and standard work.
• Introduce simple priority and job-board systems so each artisan knows what to work on next, reducing idle time and excess WIP.

This results in higher output per worker, smoother flow and better visibility of where each job is in the system.

Rework & yield losses directly impact profitability. Lean Kaizen targets loss points by:

• Mapping material flow and variance at key stages – sprues and trees, casting, filings, dust, buffing/polishing, re-melts, re-makes.
• Using Pareto and root-cause analysis to tackle dominant reasons for rework, remelt and size / fitting issues.
• Standardising tree design, casting practices, filing and buffing methods to minimise unnecessary metal removal.
• Improving dust, sludge and scrap collection systems (benches, exhausts, floors, filters) to capture recoverable gold.
• Establishing simple yield dashboards by product family or batch.

This results in lower material loss, fewer reworks and more saleable pieces from the same input.

High WIP and long order lead times create pressure on gold, cash flow and customer commitments. Lean Kaizen addresses this by:

• Using Value Stream Mapping (VSM) to quantify end-to-end lead time vs. touch time.
• Introducing WIP limits and simple “pull” logic between major stages (casting → bench work → setting → polishing) to prevent overloading downstream.
• Reducing batch sizes where feasible and grouping jobs intelligently (by metal colour, purity, stone type) to balance efficiency and responsiveness.
• Developing visual production boards showing daily targets, pending jobs and status by process.

This results in more reliable delivery dates, less time spent chasing jobs and lower gold locked in WIP.

Quality failures – stones dropping, poor finish, wrong size, visible solder, shade mismatch – lead to returns, remakes and reputation loss. Lean Kaizen improves quality by:

• Defining clear standards and visual examples for workmanship at each stage (casting quality, prong and bezel quality, surface finish, symmetry).
• Introducing in-process checks at critical stages, with documented reaction plans when issues are detected.
• Using problem-solving (Fishbone, 5-Why, QC Story) for repeated defects and returns to eliminate root causes.
• Standardising repair and remake processes to control time and cost, instead of ad-hoc handling.

This results in higher first-time-right rate, fewer customer complaints and reduced remake / repair load.

Jewellery workshops typically struggle with cluttered benches, poorly stored tools and unsafe handling of chemicals and flame. Lean 5S helps to:

• Sort and organise benches, tools, fixtures, stones and consumables with clearly defined locations and labelling.
• Reduce search time and motion by placing frequently used tools within easy reach and creating shared tool boards.
• Improve ventilation, exhaust and chemical storage, reducing exposure and contamination risk.
• Use visual cues (colours, markings, tags) to highlight priority jobs, quality holds and equipment conditions.

This results in cleaner, safer, more efficient workshops where abnormalities are visible at a glance.

Performance often depends on individual skilled workers; variation between people and shifts is high. Lean Kaizen reduces this dependence by:

• Documenting best-known methods for recurring work (e.g., standard ring resizing, prong setting for specific stone sizes, polishing sequences).
• Creating TWI-style job instructions with photos / sketches and key points / reasons.
• Building a skill matrix and targeted training plan so more artisans can perform multiple operations at a competent level.
• Using short, focused training & coaching at the bench during real work rather than only classroom sessions.

This results in more consistent quality and productivity, faster ramp-up for new hires and less risk when key individuals are absent.