Toyota Production System: Beyond Large-Scale Production

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.

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.

The deliver was highly on time; the book is brand new as expected. The rating chosen is conscuently five stars. I appreciate the very fine service. Concerning the book I concluded that is a clasic on the topic; Ohno is very didacting explaning the Toyota production System, I'm a lecturer and I'm recommeding this book to collegues and students,

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...

This books is full of incredible insights and teachings about manufacturing and specifically TPS. However if you are looking for a specific tool, rule or spreadsheet to help you this is not the book for you. The best stuff is woven into the fabric of the book as Ohno's goal was to teach people a management philosophy and approach to solving problems versus specific insights about a machine or particular manufacturing line.

A must read book, because it shows how the Japanese reach that kind of level in the automotive industry, it also explain the difference between traditional car production and Toyota way.

Gives a great insight of the manufacturing philosophies transformation chronologically. Good references about ford production system also have been referred

A lire absolument : 120 pages d'une grande simplicité - Ce livre est le livre de référence écrit par l'un des pères fondateurs du lean - Par sa simplicité, il montre bien la difficulté de la mise en place du lean que l'on voudrait trop rapidement classer comme une nième technique ou méthode - Par ailleurs, on retrouvera en fond l'histoire de la compagnie TOYOTA Le meilleur que j'ai lu sur le lean

What a great book this is! The English translation is packed full of information about the origins of the Toyota Production System and about what we now call lean thinking. The translator has done an excellent job - this reads really well.

Molto chiaro e spiegato in modo semplice con esempi di situazioni reali.Consiglio questo libro a qualsiasi persona perché il concetto può essere messo in pratica in qualsiasi ambito.

Lo recomiendo a todos los estudiantes de Organización Industrial, es fácil de leer, y te encamina hacia el pensamiento LEAN