Kaizen Songs

Kaizen Song: Hey, Juneka

Avatar photo By Jon Miller Published on June 7th, 2007

Inspired by Ron Pereira’s multi-part blogging about heijunka this week, at the Lean Six Sigma Academy, including heijunka in the front office, here is a new kaizen song.
Hey, Juneka (heijuneka)
(to the music of The Beatles’ “Hey, Jude”)
Heijuneka, don’t make a batch
Fill one order, then fill another
When salesmen place orders in small amounts
Then you can start to make the load flatter
Heijuneka, won’t be a sinch
You need an al-gorithmic pattern
The minute you average volume and mix
Then you begin to make the load flatter
And any time your markets change, heijuneka, retrain
Don’t carry the stock within your processes
Well don’t you know that it’s a fool who calls it pull
By selling his stock through discount dealers
ABABABAABAA CABACAABAA!
Heijuneka! The foundation
Makes flow smoother and schedules stabler
Endeavor, SMED set ups for all your parts
Then you can start to make the load flatter
Not product-out but market-in, heijuneka, as in
You’re making only what they are buying
And don’t you know that just in time, heijuneka,
Will need, lot sizes to be, oh so much smaller
ABABABAABAA CABACAABAA!
Heijuneka, don’t make a batch
Fill one order, then fill another
When salesmen place orders in small amounts
Then you can start to make the load flatter
Flatter, flatter, flatter, flatter, flatter, yeah!
AABAABAA CABACAABAA CABACAABAA heijunka!
AABAABAA CABACAABAA CABACAABAA heijunka!


  1. Tom

    June 8, 2007 - 5:31 am
    Reply

    As both a huge Beatles fan and Lean practitioner I got a double kick out of this! I read it through with McCartney’s voice in my head (with piano accompaniment, of course!).

  2. Suwandi

    June 9, 2007 - 1:57 am
    Reply

    Fantastic!
    Just that single word. 🙂 Good work, man!

  3. Tom Bykowski

    July 18, 2008 - 2:00 pm
    Reply

    Brilliant! All the songs are good. Now if you could just put together a chorus like “We Are The World”, to sing them.

Have something to say?

Leave your comment and let's talk!

Start your Lean & Six Sigma training today.