There are many books in lean which are regarded as classic texts. “The Toyota Production System – Beyond Large-Scale Production” by Taiichi Ohno, is a book that has influenced so many.
One could argue that without this work, books like ” The Machine That Changed the World” or “Toyota Way” would not exist.
What becomes clear from reading this book is that the Toyota Production System (TPS) rose out of necessity. Furthermore, each development was the response to a need or a problem. TPS did not emerge from a stunning blueprint, all in one piece. Instead, it developed over decades of trial, error, and iterations of the PDCA cycle.
TPS was also meant to be a uniquely Japanese Production System. In America, the land of mass-production and mass-consumption, the demand was for a few types of cars in large quantities. The Japanese domestic market was quite the opposite. The home market called for a wide variety of vehicles, in small amounts. This single fact was one of the elements that shaped the first round of problems.
Kiichiro Toyoda had already realized that Just-In-Time (JIT) would be required to enable this degree of flexibility in adding customer value. To facilitate a vision of “many variants in small quantities,” parts not needed for what was on the final assembly line simply could not be made.
In support of the level-loaded model mix, the presses could not longer produce runs of a single part. But wait? Weren’t the changeover times prohibitive? Four decades of set-up reduction followed.
Kiichiro’s predecessor, the wonderful Sakichi Toyoda, had previously perfected the Automatic Loom in 1926. This loom could “make a decision” and stop when a thread had snapped or ran out. This innovation was the beginning of jidoka, or “autonomation with the human touch.” Alongside JIT, Jioka became the second pillar of TPS.
The more you read, the more you realize that TPS was something of a perfect storm. It was shaped by events such as the Korean War (1950-1953) and the Oil Crisis of 1973. But more than anything, it was moulded by a fundamental resolution to reduce waste, wherever it was seen.
Like many evolutions of history, so many things that had to fall into place for TPS to exist.
The courage of Ohno’s superiors was one. In a way, these individuals are some of the real heroes of the piece. They allowed Ohno to experiment and to do things that seemed counter-intuitive. The adoption of Kanban was one such addition. Who would introduce a system that directed people to stop when the required number of parts were reached? Why not just keep going? It didn’t make sense!
In times of high growth, Ohno’s work was not overly transparent. Everyone was making plenty of money, and everything that was manufactured was being sold. Ohno needed adversity to show that his approach was meritorious. Global events, such as we have already described, brought attention to the benefits of TPS. Again, those who managed Ohno allowed his continued experiments even when mass production, in a high growth economy, seemed prudent.
Another element that is of interest is that TPS grew as Ohno developed. To begin with, he could only apply it to his own machine-shop, where highly-trained workers ran multi-process banks of machines. As he rose, Ohno had the opportunity to use his evolving system at a plant level, then finally across the entire Toyota business.
To me, this clearly underlined the need for management support when implementing lean across an organization. Without the connectivity that only senior management can facilitate, lean efforts will be nothing more than floating islands of believers. Lean must be everyone, everywhere, every day, in a management-led environment of learning and respect for people. Ohno wanted to see the change, so he was the change. His growing seniority was an absolutely vital factor in success. Even then, nothing happened overnight.
Ohno was an avid learner. One delightful aspect of the book is Ohno’s respect for Henry Ford, and the former’s desire to learn from the master car maker. The author includes some tremendously interesting extracts from Henry Ford’s book “Today and Tomorrow.”
One can see that the thinking of Ohno and Ford were not diametrically opposite. Ohno even asserts that Ford would have eventually uncovered the pillars of TPS by himself, as he senses the natural path of the Ford method. Ohno further argues that subsequent Ford leaders misinterpreted the mass-production ethos of the Ford system and that something akin the TPS was designed to be Mr. Ford’s eventual destination. Alas, we shall never know.
“Toyota Production System” was a book I approached with the desire to learn and reflect, and I was definitely not disappointed. But my lean roots have been shaken a little, and this is a wonderful thing!
If TPS was a gradual evolution and reaction to a unique set of circumstances and problems, why should an exact facsimile work for us?
There are many reasons why lean fails within companies. One can be the zealous application of the TPS system, without understanding why each method was originally applied. But as long as we share the DNA of problem-solving and eliminating waste, we shall be fine. TPS is an example, not a template.
As Taiichi Ohno undoubtedly did, we must be steadfast in our belief of success and find our own way.
This sounds like a really interesting book, and probably not one I would have considered reading normally. But I do find books like this fascintating, and may have to give it a go. Thank you for sharing!