As part of the attempt to maximize the utilization of resources, companies have invested in research of methodologies of minimizing resource consumption while sustaining the level of output. Toyota was among the first companies to devise such a strategy. This paper will discuss the Toyota Production System and how it contributes to the notion of a lean organization.
Definition
The Toyota Production System is a philosophy based on two concepts – “jidoka” and “Just-in-Time.” Jidoka means automation with a human touch, while Just-in-Time refers to the fact that only required components are produced at a given moment (Toyota Motor Corporation, 2020). The primary purpose is to reduce the number of resources used to make one unit of product.
Description
Jidoka is the first principle of the system, and it requires production components to be improved by hand until they are safe and accurate. When the desired quality is achieved, and all lines are able to produce identical goods, the production starts (Toyota Motor Corporation, 2020). At any given moment, only those items which are needed for the next step are made.
Elimination of Waste and Variability
The principle of jidoka is aimed at eliminating variability – when an abnormality occurs in one line, all other lines stop until the defect is removed and systems are checked. Just-in-Time production eliminates waste because unneeded components are never produced.
Lean Organization
A lean organization is customer-centric and efficient in terms of resource usage (Lean Enterprise Institute, 2020). The Toyota Production System has the same values, which is why it is often studied in the context of lean manufacturing. The system requires that customer demands are studied in order to determine which products need to be produced. Continuous improvement by hand allows the company to reduce waste and make individual components more efficient.
Conclusion
The Toyota Production System is one of the first philosophies to address the concerns of lean manufacturing. The most significant part of the system is the manual improvement of robotic systems. At Toyota, they believe that machines cannot think for themselves, which is why the human contribution is of paramount importance. Each component in the production line is continuously improved until it reaches the stage of perfection.
References
Lean Enterprise Institute. (2020). What is lean? Web.
Toyota Motor Corporation. (2020). Toyota production system. Web.