Category Archives: Toyota Production System (TPS)

Origins of the Toyota Production System

Posted on July 10, 2006 by John Hunter

Brief Investigation into the Origins of the Toyota Production System [the broken link was removed] by Art Smalley. Another excellent article by Art Smalley. Loaded with great historical information. I find these articles interesting on at least two levels. First there is great management information. Learning more about how the ideas we use now developed adds to my understanding. Second it is interesting historical information – I am not sure if it actually makes any difference in how I would … Continue reading →

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More on Non-Auto Toyota

Posted on July 7, 2006 by John Hunter

Toyota: Way, Way Off-Road [the broken link was removed] by Ian Rowley. Business Week has an article exploring the non-automotive Toyota, as we have mentioned previously: Toyota Robots – Toyota as Homebuilder – Toyota Engineers a New Plant: the Living Kind. Toyota controls dozens of businesses that have virtually nothing to do with automaking, ranging in size from resort developer Nagasaki Sunset Marina (77% owned by Toyota), with just five employees, to Toyota Financial Services Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary … Continue reading →

Posted in Innovation, Toyota Production System (TPS) | Tagged | 2 Comments

Toyota Homes

Posted on July 4, 2006 by John Hunter

Live in your next Toyota [the broken link was removed]: Housing makes up less than 1% of Toyota’s $183 billion annual sales. But company officials say technology acquired from years of making cars is central to homebuilding Toyota style. A “smart key” similar to the car key you don’t need to take out of your pocket to unlock your Toyota opens and closes the front door. A mechanism for reducing engine noise and tremors is installed under the floor to … Continue reading →

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Seminars by Toyota UK

Posted on July 3, 2006 by John Hunter

‘Increasing quality, efficiency and profitability via A Lean Approach’ is a series of six one day tour, seminar and workshop events at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing (UK) plant in Burnaston, Derbyshire that focuses on the Toyota Production System (TPS) and Quality Management. Guests can choose from three workshops, HRM, Visual Control or Practical Problem Solving, and take part in a Q&A session with the speakers: Hein Van Gerwen, Managing Director; Carl Klemm, Deputy Managing Director; Clive Bridge, Corporate Affairs Director … Continue reading →

Posted in Manufacturing, Toyota Production System (TPS), UK | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Trust: Respect for People

Posted on June 30, 2006 by John Hunter

Respect for People [the broken link was removed*], Toyota.co.jp Respect for People has always been important to Toyota, and nowhere is this more evident than in the relationship among Toyota associates. … There has been only one exception to this rule throughout Toyota’s entire history. In June 1950, during a postwar period of great hardship in Japan, the company was forced to choose between corporate restructuring or risking complete collapse. Then-President Kiichiro Toyoda battled for months for the sake of … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Lean thinking, Management, Respect, Toyota Production System (TPS) | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Toyota IT for Kaizen

Posted on June 22, 2006 by John Hunter

How Toyota Uses Information Technology (IT) for Kaizen [the broken link was removed] by Jon Miller. He quotes Toyota’s CIO from the Japanese article: Part of my job as CIO is to take on these company-wide issues and use this data to make improvement suggestions when I have an opportunity to meet with the managing executives. Of course, it requires more than me making suggestions for Toyota to make good use of IT. The departments who are the users of … Continue reading →

Posted in IT, Management, Toyota Production System (TPS) | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Dr. Shigeo Shingo

Posted on June 20, 2006 by John Hunter

Norman Bodek responds to, Shigeo Shingo’s Influence on TPS by Art Smalley, with: Dr. Shigeo Shingo – The Greatest Manufacturing Consultant. As the title shows this article focuses on the contributions of Dr. Shingo. I still find the original article interesting and valuable. I don’t think the original article denigrates Dr. Shingo. It is true the emphasis is different in the two articles however it seems to me the difference is not that large in truth. The largest difference is … Continue reading →

Posted in Management, Management Articles, Toyota Production System (TPS) | 1 Comment

Dell Falls Short

Posted on June 13, 2006 by John Hunter

Good post by Mark Graban: Once Again, Dell is Not TPS: Their factories are great examples of flow, raw material comes in one side, finished product comes out the other, with minimal WIP in between.But, lean isn’t just about reducing waste. The Toyota Production System is also about “respect for people,” meaning your employees, suppliers, and customers. Dell definitely scores higher on “reducing waste” than they do on “respecting people.” Good points.

Posted in Lean thinking, Management, Toyota Production System (TPS) | 1 Comment

Gemba Keiei by Taiichi Ohno

Posted on May 31, 2006 by John Hunter

Jon Miller has been posting thoughts on chapters of Gemba Keiei by Taiichi Ohno for quite some time. His latest post in on chapter 23 (of 37): Producing at the Lowest Possible Cost. The series of posts provide great doses of management wisdom. As he said in the first post: “As I re-read this book in the original Japanese, I will summarize the nuggets of wisdom from each chapter in Mr. Ohno’s book.”Some great examples, If You Are Wrong, Admit … Continue reading →

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Shigeo Shingo’s Influence on TPS

Posted on May 12, 2006 by John Hunter

A very interesting article by Art Smalley based on an interview with Mr. Isao Kato: Shigeo Shingo’s Influence on TPS [the broken link was removed]. For those interested in the history of the Toyota Production System this article provides some excellent information. Some background on Isao Kato: As much as anyone alive Mr. Kato knows the history of TPS development from an insider’s point of view from the 1950’s forward. He also had working relationships with Mr. Ohno even more … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management, Management Articles, Toyota Production System (TPS) | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Respect for People

Posted on May 8, 2006 by John Hunter

A very thoughtful post, Respect for People on the Kaikaku blog raises some interesting questions. What does respect for people really mean? Toyota empowers people: To stop the line – to stop every other worker from working – that is real respect and trust. To implement creative improvement ideas around their work area. They trust you to come up with the best idea to make your work easier and more interesting. You don’t have to wait for management to tell … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management, Popular, Respect, Toyota Production System (TPS) | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Quality Conversation with Gary Convis

Posted on April 29, 2006 by John Hunter

Quality Conversation with Gary Convis by Norman Bodek: There are two pillars; one is continuous improvement. You might not call this a human issue exactly, but Toyota’s success rests on the need for all employees, all management, to be looking for and striving for continuous improvement and never being satisfied. … We believe very strongly in what the Japanese call “genchi genbutsu,” the foundation of Toyota’s engineering strategy, which means “Go, see, confirm and be aware with your own eyes.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management, Management Articles, Toyota Production System (TPS) | 1 Comment

Toyota in the US Economy

Posted on April 17, 2006 by John Hunter

Some figures on Toyota’s economic impact in the USA. Toyota North American vehicle manufacturing totals: From Toyota’s web site: Toyota Manufacturing in the USA [the broken link was removed]: by 2008, Toyota will have the annual capacity to build 1.81 million cars and trucks, 1.44 million engines, and 600,000 automatic transmissions in North America. The company’s direct employment in North America is more than 38,000 and direct investment is nearly $16.8 billion with annual purchasing of parts, materials, goods and … Continue reading →

Posted in Management, Manufacturing, Toyota Production System (TPS) | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Toyota Again Get Positive Press

Posted on April 7, 2006 by John Hunter

Toyota Eyes Chance to Pass by Anthony Faiola, Washington Post: The mainstream press continues to note the success of Toyota. Toyota has been toying with hybrid engines for the past 20 years. But the company began to seriously pursue a mass-producible hybrid in 1993. Ogiso, 45 years old and now the chief engineer on the third-generation Prius still under development, said the edict came from Eiji Toyoda, the patriarch of the Toyota family who headed the company until 1994. Ogiso … Continue reading →

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Womack Podcast on GM

Posted on April 5, 2006 by John Hunter

Topic: Management Improvement, Toyota Production System Womack Audio on Bloomberg.com [the broken link was removed] (14 minutes) via the Lean Blog, where they quote from the audio: “What do they worry about? They worry about the fact the system is still driven out of Japan and they’re everywhere now in terms of factories, in terms of R&D, but the fact is, to put the discipline in the system, that force, that energy is still coming out of Toyota City. How … Continue reading →

Posted in Management, Manufacturing, Toyota Production System (TPS), webcast | Tagged

A Company’s Purpose is to be Useful to Society

Posted on April 2, 2006 by John Hunter

Toyota powers to the front [the broken link was removed] (Toyota President, Katsuaki Watanabe) eschews the normal management mantra of shareholder value above all. A company’s purpose, Watanabe insists, is to be useful to society. W. Edwards Deming described the purpose of an organization in New Economics, on page 51, as: The aim proposed here for any organization is for everybody to gain – stockholders, employees, suppliers, customers, community, the environment – over the long term. More from our previous … Continue reading →

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