What an old Honda says about innovation

Sometimes a journey of discovery begins with an apparently insignificant detail. For me, it was a 50-year-old Honda in front of a beer garden in my hometown. This motorcycle led me on a journey through Honda’s fascinating history – a history that shows how the pursuit of perfection and efficiency can drive innovation.

The seven Muda: Honda’s fight against waste

At the core of Honda’s success is the pursuit of efficiency. One of the key ideas is the elimination of the ‘seven Muda’, the seven types of waste. They aim to use resources sensibly and minimise waste at all levels. They have become particularly important in manufacturing, but the principles can be applied to other areas of life as well.

The seven muda include:

• Overprocessing: This occurs when a part or product is processed beyond the necessary standard. Although this may seem like a sign of high quality, it often results in unnecessary expenditure of time, energy and resources.
• Redundant inventory: Excess inventory ties up capital and space, increases the risk of material deterioration or damage, and can severely limit a company’s flexibility.
• Transport: Moving materials unnecessarily between or within locations not only costs time, but also increases the likelihood of damage and inefficient use of resources.
• Overproduction: Producing more than is currently needed incurs additional storage costs, increases the risk of product obsolescence and blocks valuable storage space.
• Waiting: When processes are not harmoniously aligned, idle time arises for employees and machines that could be used more productively.
• Defective parts: Every defective component not only means lost resources, but also the time and expense of rework and potentially dissatisfied customers.
• Inefficient processes: Standardised ways of working are important, but outdated or impractical processes can systematically multiply small inefficiencies and cause enormous long-term costs.

The seven Muda laid the foundation for many of the production methods that later made Honda a world market leader.

The beginnings of Honda: necessity is the mother of invention

Soichiro Honda founded the company Tōkai Seiki in 1937 to manufacture piston rings. However, it did not take long for challenges to arise: an American B-29 bomber destroyed the plant in Yamashita in 1944, and the plant in Iwata collapsed in the 1945 Mikawa earthquake. Hondo sold what was left of his company for the equivalent of $3,000.

The Honda Technical Research Institute was founded in 1946 out of the ashes. However, without capital, Honda was forced to produce only what could be sold immediately. So Honda’s ‘Type A’ was built by just 12 people in a tiny 170-square-foot workshop. There was only space for the parts that were currently being worked on, which proved to be an advantage, as demand in post-war Japan was very low. Attempting to produce in large quantities and push into a competitive market would have led to bankruptcy. Honda was forced to focus on consumer demand and produce motorcycles ‘just in time’, an approach that later became the global industry standard.

The 5S methodology: organisation for efficiency

Efficient production, such as the just-in-time method, requires a working environment that offers clear structures and is free of unnecessary clutter. Only in this way can processes run smoothly and without errors. This is where the 5S methodology comes in, a system for creating order, cleanliness and discipline in the workplace, and an essential basis for continuous improvement.

The 5S stand for:

• Seiri (sorting): remove everything unnecessary.
• Seiton (organising): place tools and materials where they are needed.
• Seisō (cleanliness): keep clean and recognise clutter immediately.
• Seiketsu (standardisation): create clear standards.
• Shitsuke (discipline): Each employee takes personal responsibility for maintaining order.

This system makes it easy to immediately recognise deviations and opportunities for improvement, and to apply them directly to the next component.

An impressive example of this is the development of the Honda CB 400 Four: in the CB 350, a swingarm was welded to a plate to hold the axle, which had been the industry standard until then. However, on the CB 400 Four, a production line worker noticed that the part was conical and could simply be pressed into the carrier plate. Honda immediately implemented this change.

Another example is the small strap on the brake pedal. A test driver had his foot caught between the brake pedal and the engine casing and suggested adding a strap. Later, another test driver got his trouser leg caught in the loop, whereupon he recommended enlarging the loop and moving the pedal 4 mm further away from the engine. This was implemented from engine no. 1084315.

And a third example: at 1.90m, I find the rear footrests and low handlebars a little restrictive. Honda’s North American marketing team noticed this too. From chassis number 1056883, Honda offered more forward footrests and higher handlebars.

Honda’s approach shows that continuous change helps to better meet customer needs.

Kaizen and the 5 Whys method

Constantly questioning the status quo is part of a philosophy called Kaizen. ‘Kai’ means continuous change and ‘zen’ means for the better. Continuously improving a model like the CB 400 Four may seem like a lot of effort to some, but this philosophy helps to ensure that the model continues to impress with remarkable reliability five decades after its market launch. And when problems arose, Honda and its employees used the 5-Why method – also known as 5 Whys.

The engine is rattling.

1. Why? Because the timing chain is loose.
2. Why? Because the timing chain tensioner is stuck.
3. Why? Because the chain has rubbed the pivot point of the tensioner.
4. Why? Because the driver has not tightened the chain sufficiently.
5. Why? Because the access is located directly behind the tyre, where it can easily become clogged, and most owners do not follow the maintenance schedule.

It is impressive how Honda uses the five whys to get to the root of the problem and solve it. However, if the cause of a problem lies with the motorcyclist, for example if they are not paying attention, Honda is open to replacing the component in question with another that is more suited to human nature, such as the CB 650’s less error-prone tensioners.

Conclusion

In summary, Honda’s history shows how innovation can arise out of necessity. The principles of just-in-time production, the 5S methodology and kaizen – the pursuit of continuous improvement – formed the basis for Honda’s success. By eliminating waste (the seven muda), focusing on efficiency and quality, and constantly challenging the status quo, Honda has created a corporate culture that is second to none.

Applying the 5-Why method to analyse the causes of problems and quickly implementing suggestions for improvement shows how important flexibility and attention to detail are in production. Honda has proven that even the smallest optimisations – from ergonomic adjustments to design changes – can have a major long-term impact on a product’s reliability and success.

Ultimately, Honda’s approach teaches us that discipline, a spirit of innovation and the involvement of employees at all levels are crucial to building a sustainable and successful company.

Notes:

Do you want to develop your company in a way that truly inspires users, customers and developers? Then simply network with Benjamin Igna on LinkedIn and find an approach that suits you and your context. Alternatively, you can also contact Stellar Work.

If you like the article or would like to discuss it, please feel free to share it in your network. And if you have any comments, please do not hesitate to send us a message.

Benjamin Igna has published two more posts on the t2informatik Blog: