Developing solutions for the improvement of business processes in the Macedonian automotive industry

This paper presents the research towards developing solutions for the improvement of business processes in the automotive industry in the R. N. Macedonia by implementing the techniques and methods of the Kaizen philosophy. The principal goal of the paper is a comprehensive analysis of the factors that enable the improvement of the entire production process through the application of tools for identifying, monitoring and solving problems. The first part of the methodology is taking the initiative by the management or the management structure of the company to use modern tools and techniques to improve quality towards achieving the planned goals. The implementation of activities preparations implies the formation of teams for improvement, detection of problems and selection of Kaizen technique. Furthermore, it follows the definition of a plan with activities, foresees goal setting and projection of the outcome of the results of the planned corrective measures. After obtaining and analyzing the results, an internal analysis is conducted and the processes in the business process are standardized. As a result of the implemented changes in all production processes in the automotive industry, the responsible persons of each department commence to standardize their daily activities and implement greater coordination in their teams. The introduction of modern tools and techniques of Kaizen aimed to improving business processes in the automotive industry, enabled slow but continuous changes at all levels and in all areas of operation. The awareness of the management and all employees was growing that something should be done on a daily basis in order to obtain a result, improve the work, productivity, efficiency and effectiveness, make the workplace a pleasant working place and of course ultimately to result in increased profits and higher wages. Keywords: Kaizen philosophy, methods and techniques, continuous improvement, automotive industry JEL classification: O32 Management of Technological Innovation and R&D; O33 Technological Change: Choices and Consequences