The Toyota Production System (TPS), a management concept that organizes Toyota’s manufacturing and logistics, as well as its interactions with suppliers and customers, is one of the greatest manufacturing success stories in history.
TPS is more generally referred to as “lean production. It was principally developed by Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota, his son Kiichiro Toyoda, and Taiichi Ohno, the company’s chief engineer. TPS’s main objective is to get rid of waste, also referred to as “muda. A method for classifying “muda further is the “seven wastes.
Understanding waste’s exact nature and sources is crucial for its elimination. The common wastes produced in manufacturing environments are relatively similar, despite the fact that goods differ greatly between factories. There is a plan to lessen or eliminate each waste’s impact on a business, enhancing output and quality overall.
What are the seven wastes?
- Overproduction To put it simply, overproduction is the act of producing something before it is actually needed. A manufacturing facility must pay a hefty price for overproduction because it interferes with the efficient flow of materials and lowers quality and productivity. Because every item is created just when it is required, the Toyota Production System is also frequently referred to as “Just-In-Time manufacturing. Overproduction could result in long lead times, expensive storage, and a challenge finding flaws. Turning off the tap is the straightforward remedy for overproduction, but doing so takes a lot of guts because it will expose the issues that overproduction is concealing. The idea is to plan and produce only what can be shipped or sold right away.
- Waiting
- The waste of waiting happens whenever items are not moving or being processed. The fact that waiting for the subsequent operation consumes a significant portion of a product’s lead time is typically due to inefficient material flow, excessively long production runs, and far-flung work centers. Waiting times can be drastically decreased by connecting processes so that one feeds into the next.
- Transporting
- Products must be transported between operations, which adds no value to the final product but costs money. Excessive handling and movement lead to damage and give room for quality to slip. Due to the perceived expenses of relocating equipment and processes closer together, it can be challenging to reduce transportation.
- Unsuitable Processing
- Whereas more basic tools would be adequate, many firms choose use pricey, high precision technology. Toyota is renowned for combining low-cost automation with perfectly kept machinery. Wherever possible, investing in smaller, more adaptable equipment will significantly minimize the waste from inefficient operations.
- Extraneous Inventory
- Increased lead times, the use of unproductive floor space, a delay in problem diagnosis, and communication barriers are all effects of excess inventory.
- Excessive/Unnecessary Motion
- This waste, which is ergonomics-related, occurs whenever someone bends over, stretches, walks, lifts, or reaches. These are also health and safety concerns, which are becoming a bigger problem for firms in today’s litigious world.
- Defects
- Rework and scrap may be extremely expensive for businesses and have a direct influence on their bottom line.
Finding and eliminating the seven wastes is the first step in becoming a lean manufacturer. Customers will always pay for work that adds value, but never for waste, as Toyota and other world-class companies have learned.
In terms of manufacturing and production, Toyota has long been acknowledged as the leader in the automobile sector. More than any other aspect of the business, this structure is what has helped Toyota become the organization that it is today.
Ironically, Toyota’s production system was inspired by American industry. This happened when a Toyota delegation came to the US to research American business operations. They first found inspiration for their manufacturing process in an American grocery, specifically a Piggly Wiggly. They recognized the benefit of the supermarket replenishing its stock only after it had been purchased by customers.
By lowering the amount of inventory it would keep to a level that its staff would need for a brief period of time, Toyota utilized the lesson from Piggly Wiggly. This is a great example of a just-in-time inventory management system.
One overarching goal is to ensure that only necessary resources are employed in the manufacturing chain. There are six additional goals that are essential to achieving the main goal.
Optimize the manufacturing system’s individual steps first. To put it another way, maximize the use of every component by making it as effective as feasible.
Second
Create a product that is flawless and error-free. This guarantees that every step of the production line will go according to schedule.
Third, lower the cost of production. The corporation will make more money the more inexpensively the product is to produce.
Fourth, create a product that customers want. If there is no demand, there will simply be a financial loss.
Fifth, the system needs to be adaptable. Since things won’t always go as expected, the system needs to be adaptable enough to be easily changed.
Sixth, there must be a solid and trustworthy relationship between buyers and sellers. Companies must rely on one another to be dependable and on schedule since Just-In-Time manufacturing almost eliminates excess stock or commodities on hand.
Low inventory levels are undoubtedly an important aspect of the Toyota Production System, but the system’s straightforward, low-tech fundamental pillars of strict adherence to procedures, continuous improvement (known as “kaizen”), identifying the source of issues, and respect for line workers are equally crucial.
The system’s core, according to Toyota officials, is that it makes use of team members’ expertise and insights while giving them a lot of training and responsibility. Toyota can only continue to advance by utilizing the inventiveness of its workforce.
The fact remains that some occupations in manufacturing can be hazardous or challenging. The Toyota Production System focuses on “cutting tough jobs,” which lowers waste.
Tasks that call for specialized knowledge from team members are referred to as difficult jobs. Those that demand specialized knowledge lead to variance and inconsistent work that compromises safety or quality.
Green, yellow, and red categories are used to rank all jobs. The objective is to elevate positions to the green category, which denotes that the obstacle has been removed.
Some of these kaizens (enhancements) have been made by making straightforward process improvements, including placing assembly tools in the right place. Robots have been used in other procedures, such loading raw materials, to completely eliminate the onerous task.
The ability of a workforce to compete in a high-tech economy and the use of “flexible manufacturing processes that take advantage of computer and robotics technology to adjust instantaneously to changing needs” can be summed up as advanced flexible manufacturing.
Toyota is undoubtedly doing something right. Any business executive is aware that success is not accidental. It is the outcome of dedication, zeal, and the quest for greatness.
In This Article...
How does Toyota benefit from lean manufacturing?
5S is a crucial part of Toyota’s Lean Manufacturing process. With the help of this technology, workstations will be made clutter-free in an effort to boost productivity, safety, efficiency, and employee happiness.
Toyota employs lean management in what ways?
“We always work to enhance our business processes using the Toyota Lean Management approach. We use difficulties and problem-solving as potent learning and performance-improving opportunities. We must first make invisible issues visible in order to do this.”
“To begin, we choose an area where we believe we can improve. By describing the difference between the present condition and the desired state, we attempt to characterize the issue as plainly as possible.
We think that if we state the issue clearly, we are already halfway to a solution.
Instead of concentrating on who is in charge, this is how we operate. Sharing responsibility is possible; being in charge prevents participation and collaboration.
We may begin gathering information to begin fixing the problem by identifying who is at fault. Therefore, problem ownership is how we enable our team to make decisions and open the door to significant change.”
ASKING WHY IN LEAN MANAGEMENT
We question “why” often in order to identify the fundamental cause of an issue when gathering data to address it.
We don’t ask who, but we do worry about why “Whoever would undermine the feeling of shared accountability for finding a solution. We don’t personalize issues because we think that issues rarely originate from persons.
The Toyota way is to identify the ineffective process, put the new process in place, then retrain employees.”
MONITORING IMPLEMENTATION
“Once we have developed the solutions to the issues, we also make an early decision about how we will oversee their execution. In the Plan-Do-Check-Adjust cycle, it is necessary to determine who will follow up with a by-when.
The PDCA cycle assures that correct countermeasure implementation. We alter the countermeasures as we go, repeating the PDCA cycle, if the countermeasure is executed properly but the results are not what we need them to be.
Toyota Lean Management is a management concept that instructs team members on effective and long-lasting problem-solving techniques.
We teach the team how to think and take responsibility by bringing up the problems and then considering how to address them.
We have accomplished more than just problem-solving if the team can approach problems thoughtfully and effectively address them. For the sake of the business and our clients, we have established a performance culture.
In essence, we have developed leaders who further solidify our position as market leaders.
How do lean manufacturing and the Toyota Production System relate to one another?
The Toyota Production System establishes how we produce vehicles (TPS). It is a unique production strategy that seeks to reduce waste and maximize efficiency. a system that’s frequently referred to as “lean” or “just-in-time.
The two ideas of jidoka and just-in-time are the foundation of TPS. Jidoka is a term that can be translated from Japanese as “A technique for swiftly recognizing and fixing any problems that could result in subpar production is automation with a human touch. Just-in-time manufacturing involves streamlining and coordinating each stage of the production process to ensure that it only generates what is needed for the subsequent stage.
By putting these ideas into practice, we are able to create automobiles swiftly and effectively, each of which satisfies our strict quality standards as well as the unique needs of each of our customers.
The second part of the 20th century saw the development of TPS, which has profited from many years of continual innovation to boost our output speed and efficiency. Others have also acknowledged its worth. Not just manufacturers but other kinds of enterprises who wish to increase their performance efficiency have researched, modified, and used our system.
Jidoka is a technique for identifying issues and acting quickly to fix mistakes at any point in the production process. When there is a problem, the machinery will automatically recognize it and safely stop so that changes and inspections can be performed as needed. People on the exchange information on the “operators can carry on operating other equipment while watching the display board. The system contributes to the maintenance of high productivity and quality while assisting in the prevention of problems from occurring again.
At every stage of production, just-in-time manufacturing entails just producing what is required, when it is required. This entails zero waste, constant quality, and a smooth production process. It necessitates that at the start of production, the production line be fully stocked with all necessary components in the proper order. In order to prevent production from being interrupted or slowed down as parts are used up, new stock is provided at the appropriate time and in the appropriate quantity. The kanban system, which offers an automatic, real-time technique to supply parts at the line side and maintain minimal stock, is essential to the just-in-time process.
Invented lean manufacturing by Toyota?
The Toyota Production System, often known as Just In Time (JIT) Production, is the driving force behind the movement toward lean manufacturing. After World War II, Japanese manufacturing owners borrowed a number of American production and quality techniques, which helped the Toyota Company achieve success. Toyota’s manufacturing process was built on the principles of Edwards Deming’s Statistical Quality Control and Henry Ford’s production methods.
Contrary to the American auto industry, Toyota promoted employee participation in the manufacturing process. Quality circles, a gathering of employees to discuss workplace development, were developed by the organization. Members of the quality circle present information on production quality to management.
Toyota created a series of protocols that cut down on the amount of time needed for setup and changeovers. Toyota developed manufacturing in smaller quantities than Ford, which necessitated a set of procedures that minimized setup and changeover times. The process that resulted was called Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED). The SMED technique for the transition uses seven processes, including simplifying both internal and external activities.
Other Japanese manufacturers adopted Toyota’s innovations, but none had the same success. American businesses started implementing parts of Toyota’s techniques in the 1980s, calling them Continuous Flow Manufacturing (CFM), World Class Manufacturing (WCM), and Stockless Production.
Toyota still employs lean?
Toyota still performs admirably when it comes to putting lean practices into effect, but less and more of that advantage currently comes from TPS and more from implementing lean product development techniques. These best practices in turn give TPS synergy.
Toyota started applying lean when?
The history of Toyota Motor Company (TMC), which dates back to 1918 and has its roots there, is closely tied to the development of production processes. The term “lean” was first used in 1990 after research into the Toyota model led to the “transference thesis,” which supported the idea that management challenges related to manufacturing and technology are widespread and that non-Japanese businesses can adopt these ideas.
Lean is a multifaceted idea that demands firms to work on numerous fronts at once. Some people define a successful implementation as attaining key strategic elements of lean, putting processes in place to support operational aspects, or showing that the improvements are long-lasting.
The essay discusses the particular context of the healthcare business and examines opportunities and problems faced by organizations planning to use lean management principles. Last but not least, a straightforward example of a process modification carried out in accordance with lean principles and executed in a dental school in the United States serves to show the ideas of “important few and customer value.”