Toyota Production System - Case Study Example

Toyota Production System Your name Course name Course Instructor Date of Submission Toyota Production System Over the last five to six decades, lean manufacturing concepts were developed mainly in Japan, particularly for Toyota production system. These concepts encountered various tests for quite a number of years and past very easily the test of time. The manufacturing process was revolutionized by the lean manufacturing concept. These manufacturing methods differ conceptually from the ancient procedures. For instance, traditional manufacturing works were in regard to inventory while the role of inventory is questioned by lean manufacturing and defines it as a waste and also as the reflector of the imperfections which a system has (Cecelja, 2006, 26). The conceptual difference between the traditional manufacturing system and lean manufacturing system is shown by this instance. According to Kádár et al. (2003, 19), it is very difficult sometimes to believe that a system such as lean manufacturing was born with a simple set of ideas though it id true. Lean manufacturing operates on a very simple basis. For instance, it recognizes the fact that clients will only pay for the value of the product or the service rendered to them and not for the mistakes. The effect of this thinking is high on the process of manufacturing. It changed the means through which manufacturing process was viewed by people. It made individuals to describe value of the product f4rom client’s point of view and not from the internal manufacturing point of view. It is essential to comprehend the differences between the lean manufacturing concepts to the conventional manufacturing in order to implement lean manufacturing successfully. Your success will be eventually killed by failing to do this. The Toyota Production System (TPS) is a manufacturing methodology developed over a 20 year period by Toyota of Japan synonymous with lean manufacturing and lean production. All manufacturing activities are all divided into adding values or developing waste in the most simplistic definition of TPS (Jidōsha & Kaisha, 1995, 13). Maximizing value by eradicating waste is the objective of TPS. Generally, Taiichi Ohno is attributed as being the father of TPS. The vice president of manufacturing for Toyota and the driving force behind the development of Toyota production System was Mr. Ohno (Ohno, 2001, 53). A paper presented in August 1977 was the initial documentation of TPS. Since then, TPS has been codified in numerous books. Monden (1983, 110) asserts that Toyota Production System is a system that was initially created to account for certain concepts facing one company. Many other organizations and industries across the world have been using the revolutionary concepts and ideas founded at Toyota. TPS’s central point of view is actually the value. TPS has evolved to help companies maximize value by understanding and defining value. All activities associated with manufacturing procedure are categorized in this system as adding value or waste. The objective of the companies which use TPS is to offer the exact quantity, with an accurate quality, exactly when it is required by the client. TPS is made up of the tools applied in identifying and minimizing non-value adding activities. Nevertheless, TPS is not a stationary system; instead, it permits increased change and improvement. Maybe that gives room for new techniques to be developed and comprehended. One of the most difficult tasks to be undertaken by a company is to define value. This concept has been addressed by the TPS with a very well-designed solution; value is an item or characteristic for which a client is eager to pay. This metric of value permits companies using TPS to have an exceptionally clear vision when analyzing an activity or procedure when it is implemented. There is no organization which likes waste, nevertheless, it is difficult to eradicate waste incase it cannot be recognized. The TPS forces companies to question: Would someone pay for this? Suppose the answer is no, then it is a waste (Liker, 200, 78). Waste can be eradicated once it is detected. Waste elimination tools have advanced around the most common sections of waste or muda as it is referred to in TPS. Waste is defined further by TPS as the event that consumes time, resource or space but it doesn’t add value. The seven groups of muda are as follows: Overproduction: producing faster than, more than or sooner than is needed Defects: waste, repair or rework in its simple form Inappropriate processing: operations that don’t add value from the client’s perspective Waiting: idle time that could be applied effectively Unnecessary/excess motion: any movement by individuals or equipments which don’t add value Transporting: needless transport of parts r materials Unnecessary inventory: above one piece flow Poka Yoke, or fault proofing, is a method to eradicate the waste of faulty product by not producing it in the initial stage. The root cause of the product was made faulty is determined and then a poka yoke developed to make sure that the cause cannot take place again as a defective product is identified. By manufacturing from a pull system, excess inventory is minimized typically (Shingo et al., 1989, 93). A Kan-Ban system pulls replacement product via the system as product is sold to the end customer. Waste in the form of excess inventory is minimized or eradicated by constructing as a direct result of consumer activity. Typically, wasted time refers to the set up and dies change applications. Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) techniques are applied in minimizing time lost to production changeovers. Poka Yoke, Kanban and SMED techniques are components of the overall TPS even though these techniques are concrete well comprehended methods to minimize waste and eradicate error. These methods are not the definition of TPS instead they are an outcome of TPS (Ibid, 8). TPS permitted Toyota to develop into a world class manufacturing company by codifying and comprehending the relationship of manufacturing practices and end client value. Vehicle production system of Toyota Motor Corporation is a means of making things that is sometimes called a Lean manufacturing System or a Just-in-Time (JIT) system and has come to be known popularly and studied internationally. This production control system has been instituted in regard to many years on increased improvements with the goal of making the vehicles ordered by clients in the fastest and most competent manner, so as to deliver the vehicle as quick as possible. TPS was instituted in regard to two concepts the first one referred to as jidoka- which can be translated loosely as automation with human touch- which implies that when a problem takes place, the equipment stops immediately, preventing faulty products from being produced (Monden, 1989, 170). The second one is the concept of Just-in-Time through which each procedure produces what is required by the next process alone in a continuous flow. The TPS can efficiently and quickly produce vehicles of sound quality, one at a time, that satisfy fully requirements of the client based on the basic philosophies of jidoka and Just-in-Time. The affected machine will stop automatically and operators stop production and rectify the problem if equipment malfunction or a faulty part is discovered. All of the parts that are made and supplied ought to meet predetermined quality standards for the Just-in-Time system to function (Ōno, 1988, 46). This is attained via jidoka. a. Jidoka implies that a machine stops safely when the normal process is accomplished. It also implies that the machines detects the problem on its own and stops should a quality or equipment problem emerge hence preventing faulty products from being produced. Consequently, products satisfying quality standards alone will be passed to the following procedures on the production line. b. Operators can self-assuredly continue performing work at another machine as well as identifying easily the cause of the problem to prevent its recurrence since a machine stops automatically when a problem emerges and is communicated through the andon- problem display board. It also facilitate production of high quality products efficiently via the complete eradication of waste, discrepancies and unreasonable needs on the production line the vehicle is built efficiently within the shortest time possible so as to deliver a vehicle ordered by a client as quickly as possible by adhering to the following: i. A production instruction ought to be issued to the beginning of the vehicle production line as soon as possible when a vehicle order is received. ii. The assembly ought to be stocked with needed number of all required parts so that any kind of ordered vehicle can be assembled. iii. The assembly line ought to replace the parts applied by retrieving the same number of parts from the parts-producing procedure- the preceding procedure. iv. The preceding procedure ought to be stocked with small numbers of all kinds of parts and generate only the number of parts that were recovered by an operator in the following process (Ōno, 1988, 63). Companies which pursue and follow TPS best practices have observed much success due to this increasingly efficient philosophy. Some of these benefits include: Identify and improve client perceived value. Reduce waste and cost inn the process of manufacturing. Enhance product quality and punctual delivery Create a highly competitive world class manufacturing operation To be clear, the Toyota Production System is a system that has provided companies with a plan for manufacturing excellence. References Cecelja, F, 2002, Manufacturing information & data systems: Analysis, design & practice, New York, Elsevier, 32-124. Jidōsha, T, and Kaisha, K, 1995, Toyota production system, New York, Toyota Motor Corp., International Public Affairs Division, 4-38. Kádár, B, Morel, G, and Monostori, L, 2003, Intelligent Manufacturing Systems 2003, New York, Elsevier, 53-169. Liker, J, 2004, The Toyota way: 14 management principles from the world's greatest manufacturer, McGraw-Hill, McGraw-Hill Professional, 23-243. Monden, Y, 1983, Toyota production system: Practical approach to production management, Michigan, Industrial Engineering and Management Press, Institute of Industrial Engineers, 87-204. Monden, Y, 1998, Toyota production system: An integrated approach to just-in-time, New York, Engineering & Management Press, 89-267. Ohno, T, 2001, Toyota Production System: Beyond Large-Scale Production, New York, Taylor and Francis, 43-150. Ōno, T, 1988, Toyota production system: Beyond large-scale production, New York, Productivity Press, 32-89. Shingo, S, Shingō, S, and Dillon, A, 1989, A study of the Toyota production system from an industrial engineering viewpoint, New York, Productivity Press, 76-156. Shingo, S, Shingō, S, and Dillon, A, 1989, The Toyota Production System, New York, Productivity Press, 5-17. Read More