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What does 'K' stand for in DE-K?

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Old Dec 19, 2008 | 08:08 AM
  #1  
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What does 'K' stand for in DE-K?

Kaizen, right? If so, isn't that a rip-off from Toyota? I remember Toyota's print ads talking about Kaizen, and how they were the first to implement it back in the 1940s when they sent some people to observe Ford's assembly plant.

Dr J
Old Dec 19, 2008 | 12:00 PM
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The K designation stands for the Japanese word kaizen which translates to "improvement".

Kaizen (改善, Japanese for "continuous improvement") is a Japanese philosophy that focuses on continuous improvement throughout all aspects of life. When applied to the workplace, Kaizen activities continually improve all functions of a business, from manufacturing to management and from the CEO to the assembly line workers.[1] By improving standardized activities and processes, Kaizen aims to eliminate waste (see Lean manufacturing). Kaizen was first implemented in several Japanese businesses during the country's recovery after World War II, including Toyota, and has since spread to businesses throughout the world.
In Japanese this is pronounced "kaizen".

* 改 ("kai") means "change" or "the action to correct".
* 善 ("zen") means "good".

Not something that can really be "stolen"
Old Dec 19, 2008 | 12:23 PM
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beat me to it, though I didn't know what kaizen meant.
Old Dec 19, 2008 | 12:33 PM
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It loosly translates to improvment,demo boku ha wakarimasen yo
Old Dec 21, 2008 | 08:41 AM
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What about the DE?
Old Dec 21, 2008 | 08:51 AM
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D = Valve train
D = DOHC
No letter = SOHC
V = Variable Valve Lift (VVL) plus DOHC

.....
E = Fuel Delivery
No letter = Carb
E = Multiport Fuel Injection
i = Throttle Body Fuel Injection
D= Direct Injection
Old Dec 21, 2008 | 09:53 AM
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This's sooo not what I was looking for. The point of my thread, and apologies for not being clear, is that Nissan took the idea from Toyota. The idea of Kaizen is not new, but Toyota was among the first to use it internally, and externally to market their products. Now Nissan comes along and uses the same thing on their engine. Isn't there some kinda issue there? Or not? Kinda like BMW nailing Nissan's butt for advertising the 350z as "The New Z".
Old Dec 21, 2008 | 02:02 PM
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Originally Posted by ThurzNite
This's sooo not what I was looking for. The point of my thread, and apologies for not being clear, is that Nissan took the idea from Toyota. The idea of Kaizen is not new, but Toyota was among the first to use it internally, and externally to market their products. Now Nissan comes along and uses the same thing on their engine. Isn't there some kinda issue there? Or not? Kinda like BMW nailing Nissan's butt for advertising the 350z as "The New Z".
I dont understand what you are trying to day, are you trying to say? So what if nissan added the letter K to stand for an improvment in their engine code? Also some nissan engine codes that had K at the end were supercharged models.

There is no "idea" of Kaizen. Its a WORD.

This would be like if you refer to 240sx's as kouki models, zenki models, and chuki models and then say they stole it from toyota. Because people refer to different ae86 and other corollas as a kouki model.
Old Dec 21, 2008 | 02:47 PM
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I see what you mean. I thought Toyota had trademarked 'kaizen' back then.
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