The Toyota Production System Journey (the Continuously Changing Features Of Tps And Lean Thinking)

By (author) Takeuchi, Noboru
Short description/annotation
The Toyota Production System (TPS) is regarded as a sophisticated concept that helps us understand the world of manufacturing. It evolved from the system of mass-producing cars, established by Ford, and the Japanese have since endeavored to make their own universal production system.
Description

The Toyota Production System (TPS) is regarded as a sophisticated concept that helps us understand the world of manufacturing. It evolved from the system of mass-producing cars, established by Ford, and the Japanese have since endeavored to make their own universal production system. Though much has been accomplished, TPS’ progress is a continuous process. The theme of this book is how to understand and learn TPS.

There is a TPS concept that seems to elude many, and that is that manufacturers should be able to make a product available at the moment a customer comes and asks for it. There are various ways and various tools that can be used to pursue the ideal state, and therefore we need to focus on the basic principles of TPS. This book tries to explain those Toyota Production System concepts that may otherwise be elusive.

This book focuses on the factory to help readers understand the fundamental ideology of TPS. The main character started his career as a technical expert in the R&D division of an automotive Company and eventually becomes an Instructor of TPS. His broad career in companies is used to vividly describe the form of the Toyota Production System. To explain the growth of apprentices of various titles and positions, this story is woven with several short stories presented from the perspective of the main character, who grows from being a group leader to section leader to manager to general manager.

Essentially, this book describes the Toyota Production System as based on the philosophy: “Always sketching out and pursuing the ideal state of manufacturing.”

Table of contents

Part 1: The Team Leader grows as a production supervisor 01. Team Leader Julie looks back at her notes Part 2: Overview of the purpose of the Toyota Production System 02. Trigger 03. Purpose 04. Consideration Journey Two: Meditation Journey Part 3: Encountering the Toyota Production System 05. Prologue 06. Encountering the Toyota Production System 07. Getting through the R&D 08. Setting up a production line 09. Transfer to the production workplace. How should the factory be managed? 10. Encountering Kanban at the start of mass production Part 4: Production by way of Kanban 11. Machine-based: The machine-based workplace managed via Kanban 12. Manual-based: Working on the assembly line 13. An"Anti-TPS" force? 14. Kanban as part of the daily management routine Part 5: Standing still and observing the jobsite by means of Genchi-Gembutsu 15. Observing the Production Workplace closely using Standing Observation; How worthless management that exists only on paper is! 16. Is it easy to manage in the Kanban world!? ; What is the role of the manager? 17. The role of the Assistant Manager in the Toyota Production System Part 6: Learning the Toyota Production System as a technical expert in mid-position 18. Learning the Toyota Production System together with young technical experts 19. Learning the role of the Toyota Production System 20. The never-ending pursuit Journey Three. Implementation Journey Part 7: Entering the Kaizen Promotion Organization 21. New departure 22. Transfer to the managing division of TPS activities 23. The way to advance the activity: Organization for promoting TPS 24. What is the company-wide function of OMCD? 25. TPS activity is mainly implemented in the Pr