Toyota Production System

Gran libro y autor

What is said about JIT is very logical. Many so called Lean companies and consultants trip over Kanban but shouldn’t. Remember, Time is to Manufacturing functionality as to what Gravity is to the functions of the universe. In JIT, the concept of, you only get what you need when you need is relative to time.Example- If an outside supplier of a machining process, sequenced part says he needs three days lead time to setup, machine, degrease, deburr, delivery, then the Kan ban size inventory is three days worth of material; the Time it takes to resupply. As you consume at your takt-time rate, your supplier makes replenishment at his rate of three days. You should synchronize your material storage to match his Process times to supply you with. I have worked at two Japanese world product foot print manufacturers that are Deep Dive Toyota Process System companies that are very Lean mature and supposedly three Lean American companies. The American company’s interpretation of JIT is to literally only order items when needed (that day). Comparing the cultural JIT application differences was disappointing to witness how poorly the American companies applied the TPS approach. At the American companies We had to continually stop the line for no parts or material because we ignorantly didn’t factor in the lead times to resupply us. Their argument was, “It’s supposed be ordered by ‘Just In Time’ processes. We’re supposed to maintain only what’s needed and only order at the time when needed.” This non-sense behavior applied the literal meaning of the words ‘Just In Time’ while ignoring context, logic, principals, and common sense of what was being taught. That’s why Taiichi Ohno said the misapplication of JIT could cause serious damage to your product flow and the entire operations. Line Stoppage with waste everywhere.

I am going to say - these things translated from Japanese are a trick to read. They don't flow like an English author - but the data in them reveals a different way of thinking - that I will say is the essence of the East. I see how the Japanese took Henry Ford's seminal 'eliminate waste' and took it to a new level, where Ford Motor Company didn't - they had to relearn it from the Japanese... (forgive my blasphemy!). It's Eastern thought applied to a production system and out comes something brilliant. Its 5-star data that you have to dig in and really digest due to the difference in the languages.

Taiichi Ohno is the father of the Toyota Productions System. Part of the Toyota Way is to go to the source (the "genba"). This is that book. It's necessary reading for anyone in the manufacturing world that wants to understand lean production or the heart of what makes Toyota successful.

After 30 years of manufacturing experience and thinking that I was very knowledgeable of Lean Manufacturing systems, it came to my surprise that one book written almost 30 years ago would teach me all the things I take now for granted without knowing that all this knowledge came from the mind of one man and his fellows at Toyota. My hat is down for Mr. Taiichi Onno. I now have a better understanding of his teachings and I believe that the Toyota Production System will be the do facto standard for manufacturing in the years to follow. I wonder if it is ready for and ISO standard...

I took a lot of good advice, on how businesses should conduct themselves on slow growth periods and why waste is the number 1 killer of well running businesses.TPS can be applied in different forms and different industries. The objective is waste elimination.

An excellent overview of the main concepts of lean manufacturing: finding waste, JIT, kanban, production leveling, flow, automation with a human touch, reduced set-up times, the "5 why", etc. Explanations are to the point and easy to understand.What makes this book unique is that the author was THE pioneer who brought most of these concepts to life. In the last chapters of the book he does a good job at putting his approach in perspective with earlier developments at Toyota, Ford, and GM.

I must admit disappointment with this text. I sought a deeper understanding of Taiichi's thought processes, and while the text delivers on this some, it was far too little for me. I did like Workplace Management better.Pro:+ Reinforces many of the basics and things I already believed about TPS, which can be a good thing to do once in a while+ Does a good job describing the purpose of kanban but stops short of describing how badly it can harm the business when poorly implemented+ Creates a greater appreciation for how long it took to develop concepts (this was very interesting to me)+ Some notable quotes to use and share later+ A good book to read to confirm that the "intro to lean" course you took was (or wasn't) directionally correct+ Some interesting history about the development of TPS, and that each element was "created in response to a need"+ Also some interesting commentary on the Ford (Mass Production) System, which I had heard before, but coming from Taiichi's pen made it more meaningfulCon:- Somewhat short on content (117 small pages)- Misspelled "takt" as"tact" repeatedly and perhaps defines it incorrectly too (how could this happen!?)Bottom line: A good read for the beginner, the zealot who wishes a refresher or to practice a philosophical TPS "go and see." Not for everybody.