Autoliv - Autoliv Production System, Kaizen and Six Sigma

Autoliv makes the world a safer place. Simply put, their products save lives. They are a leading manufacturer of auto safety products, and supply all the leading auto makers throughout the world. Quality is vital when it comes to life and Autoliv is living up to their name.

Modeled after the Toyota Production System (TPS), Autoliv developed their own system called the Autoliv Production System (APS) to drive improvements in cost, quality, delivery, safety, and productivity. APS relies heavily upon Lean manufacturing principles including Kaizen, 5S, and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM). In addition to APS, in 2001 Autoliv introduced Six Sigma to Autoliv North America and in 2002 they expanded the program across the enterprise. Black Belts are called “Mentors” and “Kaptain Kaizen” has been seen greeting employees in the Columbia City Steering Wheel Plant.

Savings and Benefits

“Autoliv uses Kaizen, Six Sigma and other tools for continuous quality improvements. Applying the corporate-wide Six Sigma initiative, which was started in 2001, Autoliv trains mentors to employ various methods for finding root causes to complex problems and to take corrective actions. Already, 200 projects have been completed, yielding significant quality improvements and cost reductions."

Quality, Autoliv Website

“Our target is to improve labor productivity by at least 5% per year to offset higher labor costs. For this we rely on Kaizen, Six-Sigma, Autoliv’s own production system (APS) and many other manufacturing principles and methods.

“We use Kaizen, Six-Sigma and other tools for continuous quality improvements. All of our main facilities have Six-Sigma mentors who have been trained to employ various methods for finding root causes to complex problems and to take corrective action. Since the start in 2001, over 170 Six-Sigma projects have been completed, yielding significant quality improvements and cost reductions.”

2003 Annual Report

“Already, 35 facilities have Six Sigma mentors and over 60 projects have been completed, yielding significant quality improvements and cost reductions.”

2002 Annual Report

“To introduce Six Sigma, Autoliv has started to apply it to some 20 projects. In addition to higher quality and delivery precision and other results that are difficult to measure, these initial projects are expected to generate cost savings of several millions annually.”

2001 Annual Report

Articles and Links

Safe and Sound, The Manufacturer, June 10, 2005

Autoliv Receives Shingo Prize – Again, Autoliv Press Release, March 2, 2005

How the Winners Keep Winning, Assembly Magazine, March 1, 2004

Two Autoliv Facilities Win Prestigious Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing, Autoliv Press Release, March 11, 2003

Taking The High Road, Best Plant Winners 2003, Industry Week