Toyota Problem Tracking

Problem tracking processes enable insights into unanticipated use cases, errors, and flaws. ...

... "If you put a lot of parts together to form a complex electromechanical machine and make it talk to itself via software, it can behave, sometimes, in ways you cannot anticipate. " ...

Via washingtonpost: Toyota

Lean Initiatives Toyota Impact

The current Toyota quality debacle should cause pause, when pitching new lean initiatives to executives. However, be prepared to discuss Toyota's deviation from the methods and principles in the context of global growth and scale. ...

... "the company has fallen below its traditional high standards, rather than tarnishing the validity of Lean principles and practices. Lean is now bigger than Toyota and one of the most influential process inventions of the last half-century ... " ...

Via Ovum: http://bit.ly/aENB6J

Toyota Product Quality Changes includes Chief Quality Officers by Region

Toyota discusses corrective actions and approach to their recent quality-related experience. ...

... "Measures for improving product quality: TMC will appoint a person to the post of chief quality officer for each principal geographical region to make the company more alert to customer sentiment. Such officers will serve on the company’s newly established Special Committee for Global Quality. That committee, to be headed by TMC’s president, is for steering the company’s quality-improvement activities onto a new and higher plane. The Special Committee for Global Quality will hold its first meeting on March 30. " ...

Via Toyota: Quality-Related Matters

Lean Kaizen Contrast

#lean A look at cultural implications of lean and living the enterprise mission ...

Comparison of Toyota and J&J culture by BatesHook: "They were so focused on grabbing the title of world’s largest automaker that they completely forget about their principles that made them such a respected brand ... "

Kaizen DNA

Toyota deals with its quality problems by initiating another recall. The company's president apologizes for the situation and acknowledges that the automaker is not perfect. ...

... "Whenever we find flaws or mistakes we make sure to correct them ... That's part of our kaizen (continuous improvement) DNA, he added. " ...

Via Wall Street Journal: Toyota Recall, Prius Hybrids

Kaizen Time during Toyota Downtime

With the production line stopped, Toyota workers can implement their continuous improvement ideas from their kaizen events. ...

... "They will be offered the opportunity to do training exercises or discuss ways they can improve their processes, the kaizen concept for which Toyota is famed. " ...

Via Kentucky dot com: KY Toyota workers

Lean Insights

Lean expert shares his experience with local Maryland-area businesses at Carroll Community College this week. ...

... "You start to identify areas of waste, and then you would engage the entire team to get activated to help you take that waste out of the system … which is applicable to any business, Scaffede said. " ...

Via Carroll County Times: Manufacturing Insights

The Political Side of NUMMI Lean

Politics have taken over the auto industry transformation and forces are realigning to protect their interests and influence the outcomes. ...

... "So the union, having already received countless favors from the Obama administration, chooses to spend its ammunition elsewhere, partly because it never liked the Nummi idea of lean manufacturing in the first place. " ...

Via Wall Street Journal: Nummi

Novartis Lean Pull Supply Chain

The value in the healthcare value chain has the customer in mind: the patient. An integrated strategy is needed to drive benefits for the patient while aligning leadership capabilities that support tangible financial value as well. AMR Research analysts present a model for healthcare value and identify exemplary performers in the industry, such as Novartis which is making strides in its supply chain with lean pull techniques. ...

... "Companies like Novartis are striving to develop demand-driven capabilities that allow the company to be driven by demand and downstream signals instead of a forecast. The company’s endeavor to become the Toyota of the pharmaceutical industry, using lean manufacturing principles, enhanced business process engineering, and a disciplined effort as enablers, is case in point. " ...

Via AMR Research: Healthcare Value Chain

The Human Side of Lean

Toyota president shows the human side of leadership. Will any of his peers emulate this? ...

... "It was agonizing to decide to cease production at a California plant this year, after General Motors, its partner in the venture, decided to pull out. " ...

Via New York Times: The Apologetic Toyota Chief

Avensis Six Sigma Quality

Porsche Lean Manufacturing Modernization

Porsche CEO steps down after taking business risks and transforming his company into an efficient manufacturer, using lean production techniques. ...

... "Within two years he managed a surprise turnaround by trimming the product line-up, modernizing the production system based on Toyota's lean manufacturing system, and negotiating new work rules with the unions. " ...

Via Reuters: Porsche

Nummi American Lean System

Toyota leadership will wrestle with decision on the future of the Nummi site which was used to refine American lean techniques with General Motors. GM has reorganized its way out of the joint venture with Toyota. ...

... "For Toyota, Nummi served as a beachhead for it to push deeper into the U.S. market and also a learning lab to figure out how to effectively use American labor within the Japanese company's lean manufacturing system." ...

Via Wall Street Journal: Toyota Leadership

Tour of the Nummi manufacturing facility.

GM Cancels Pontiac Vibe, Manufactured at Nummi Site: "General Motors has decided to discontinue production of the Pontiac Vibe by the end of August 2009. The Vibe is produced at the New United Motor Manufacturing Incorporated (NUMMI) facility jointly operated by GM and Toyota in Fremont, California. "

Fiat Lean Production System

Chrysler will implement Fiat's version of lean manufacturing, the Fiat Production System. ...

... "Fiat, based in Turin, uses a system that emphasizes measuring every aspect of work and stopping inefficiencies, Hill said. It is similar to Toyota Motor Corp.’s highly regarded lean-manufacturing system ... " ...

Via Bloomberg: Chrysler

Toyota Kentucky Lean Manufacturing

The Lean Investment Pays Offs

Investment in productivity initiatives, such as Lean and Six Sigma, help position companies for better performance through the peaks and valleys of the business cycle. ...

... "Toyota's margins were higher because it invested heavily in automated production systems and lean manufacturing initiatives over many years and, as a result, was much better positioned to weather the current crisis than its American competitors. Investing in yourself -- especially when your competitors can't -- usually leads to a payoff down the road. " ...

Via Motley Fool: Get Better In a Recession

Army Plant Lean Manufacturing Modernization

Setpoint Systems will modernize the Army's back-office manufacturing process for 7.62mm ammunition cases at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant. Setpoint will integrate lean manufacturing principles to achieve operational efficiency, increased output, and enhanced product quality. ...

... "The U.S. government and ATK (the private company who manages the plant) realized that the time had come to modernize this manufacturing process. Setpoint gave ATK the perfect modernization solution through lean manufacturing. Lean manufacturing is based on the Toyota Production System (TPS) methodology, which breaks manufacturing processes down into multiple, compact workcells rather than using the enormous manufacturing lines common in the 20th century. " ...

Via Setpoint Systems: Army Ammunition Plant

Toyota Production System in Healthcare

Learn about the application of lean principles and TPS in the healthcare industry. ...

... "The 2nd Annual Summit on Deploying the Toyota Production System & Lean Healthcare in Hospitals, When: Jun 25, 2008, Where: Hilton San Francisco, San Francisco, CA " ...

Via : Summit on Deploying the Toyota Production System in Hospitals

German Lean Manufacturing MNPS

MAN Nutzfahrzeuge implements lean manufacturing techniques in pilots and commits to enterprise implementation of a common production system. ...

... "Closely modeled on the well-known Toyota Production System (TPS), the development of the MAN Nutzfahrzeuge Produktionssystem—christened, inevitably, MNPS—was intended to standardize the adoption of lean thinking right across MAN ... " ...

Via Manufacturing Business Technology: German industrial giant pioneers Toyota lean manufacturing

Toyota Production System Highlights

TPS reviewed in this vid. ...

Kaizen Innovative Methods

Toyota uses innovative methods to empower its workforce and improve the performance of the enterprise. ...

... "Toyota, whose $1.3 billion plant near Blue Springs will be the company's eighth North American assembly plant, is often associated kaizen, or continuous improvement, which is associated with its Toyota Production System. " ...

Via Trading Markets: Methods of Innovation

TPS Toyota's Production System

Insights on TPS ...

Manufacturing Software: Lean Integration ...

Factory Logic collaborates with the Automation and Drives Group of Siemens AG to integrate the Factory Logic Lean software into the Siemens SIPLACE manufacturing optimization solution. ...

... "Siemens will integrate the Factory Logic Lean Operations Suite (Factory Logic) into SIPLACE manufacturing optimization solutions for the global electronic assembly market. SIPLACE is the Siemens product family name for integrated hardware, software and services solutions to support the entire SMT (Surface Mount Technology) production facility. Factory Logic is a software solution designed from the ground up to support demand-driven production scheduling and pull-based supply synchronization using proven lean methods originally pioneered in the Toyota Production System (TPS). As part of SIPLACE lean manufacturing solutions, Factory Logic will enable electronics manufacturers to perform advanced production leveling and kanban/supermarket management functions in conjunction with SIPLACE SMT machines and other Siemens solution components. Factory Logic supports an integrated approach that directly links production to actual customer demand, while maintaining the stability required for consistent, reliable, waste-free factory and supply chain operations. Siemens will sell and support the Factory Logic software as an embedded component of SIPLACE solutions globally. " ...

Via Factory Logic: Siemens to Integrate Factory Logic Lean Manufacturing Software Into SIPLACE Electronics Assembly Solutions ...

Kaizen Delivery Improvement Recognized by Toyota ...

Toyota recognizes the Hub Group for reducing its variability in on-time delivery. Hub's achievement in delivery improvement is celebrated by Toyota with its Kaizen Challenge Award. The two companies worked collaboratively to enable this accomplishment. ...

... "Hub Group, Inc. has been awarded Toyota's prestigious North American Parts Operations (NAPO) 2006 Kaizen Challenge Award. Kaizen is a critical component of the Toyota Production System (TPS) management practice, and this award recognizes Hub Group not only for its ability to work in partnership with Toyota management, but for significant performance and efficiency improvements achieved in product deliveries to Toyota's U.S. Parts Delivery Centers (PDCs) across the country.

The kaizen team, comprised of both Hub Group and Toyota professionals, was able to significantly reduce bunching (the tendency for inbound container volumes arriving at PDCs to fluctuate unevenly throughout the week), improve on-time performance (from not-late to not-late and not-early), and to reduce costs by eliminating rail detention and storage for the Toyota PDCs. As a result of the success of this initiative, additional Toyota PDCs have been added to the program. Since Kaizen is a continuing process, further improvements will be explored and documented throughout Toyota’s PDC system. " ...

Via Hub Group: Hub Group Earns Toyota 2006 Kaizen Challenge Award

Hub Group, Inc. is a leading asset-light freight transportation management company providing comprehensive intermodal, truckload brokerage and logistics services.

Hospital Six Sigma Process: Specimen Management ...

Medical centers are collaborating to redesign processes for defect-free specimen management, which translates into much higher quality diagnoses. ...

... "The collective is finding success with quality-control methods -- such as checklists and automated specimen processing -- that were adapted from Toyota's production system and General Electric's Six Sigma principles for reducing manufacturing defects. " ...

Hospital Six Sigma Process: Specimen Management: Via Pittsburgh Post Gazette: Hospitals move to cut dangerous lab errors ...

Lean 5S Tool Upgraded ...

Lean Toolkit upgraded ...

... "Kaizen Products LLC released its 5S ActionPack product upgrade. Designed to serve those getting started in Toyota Production System methods, the $349.00 multi-media training kit is now available. The 5S principles are a fundamental tool of the Toyota Production System, recognized world wide as a model of operational excellence. The 5S practice of Sort, Straighten, Sweep, Standardize and Self-Discipline are essential to establishing and maintain safety, quality, on-time delivery and productivity in any workplace. " ...

Lean 5S Tool Upgraded: Kaizen Products Releases 5S ActionPack Upgrade – Designed for the Lean Manufacturing DIY Market, New Version Contains Quick Reference Guides, Wallet Cards and Red Tags ...

Lean TPS: Toyota Production System: Fountain Powerboat Implementation ...

Fountain Powerboats sets course for lean manufacturing through the application of the Toyota Production System (TPS). Fountain will leverage the strengths of Lean consultant, Samuel McPherson, to accomplish its lean journey.

... "Fountain Powerboat Industries, Inc., a leading manufacturer of high performance sport boats, fish boats and express cruisers, announced that it has engaged Samuel R. McPherson, a senior enterprise consultant, to implement the Toyota Production System (TPS) in its manufacturing facilities. McPherson is a proven Lean Manufacturing and public sector leader with over 24 years of experience in driving organizational cultural change and world class lean manufacturing.

The Toyota Production System is the framework and philosophy organizing manufacturing facilities and the interaction of these facilities with the suppliers and customers. The main goal of the TPS is to eliminate seven types of waste: defects, overproduction, transportation, waiting, inventory, motion and over processing. Toyota was able to greatly reduce costs using the TPS, enabling it to become one of the three largest companies in the world. Due to the stellar success of the production philosophy, many of these methods have been copied by other manufacturing companies. Mr. McPherson is a senior Lean-Six Sigma Enterprise and Public Sector Consultant responsible for providing operations, enterprise, extended enterprise level Lean and Lean-Six Sigma, Shingo Manufacturing consulting, training and product development for key commercial, state and government clients within the state of North Carolina. " ...

Lean TPS: Toyota Production System: Fountain Powerboat Implementation: Via Fountain Mercury: FOUNTAIN POWERBOATS TO IMPLEMENT TOYOTA PRODUCTION SYSTEM IN MANUFACTURING FACILITIES ...

Lean Manufacturing Supervisor Position Available ...

Lean Manufacturing Supervisor position is available ...

... "Lean Manufacturing Supervisor: Leading specialty metals manufacturer is seeking an experienced supervisor to facilitate work on the production floor, plan the daily and weekly work schedule, and solve production problems as part of the continuous improvement plan. Knowledge and experience in adapting Lean Manufacturing or Toyota Production System (TPS) techniques or principles to the production environment are required. Technical or engineering background with familiarity and experience in an industrial setting, including at least 5 years supervisory and engineering experience preferred. " ...

Via Spokesmanreview: Classifieds: Lean Manufacturing Supervisor Position

Kaizen Worker Lean Manufacturing System ...

Workers adopt kaizen principles and leverage in the lean manufacturing system. ...

... "San Pedro helped eliminate that tough weld by bringing in a robot to do the job. His focus on safety is part of the Toyota Production System at the Fremont plant. The so-called lean manufacturing system uses Japanese terms and culture to emphasize worker protection and efficiency in building cars.
San Pedro calls himself a kaizen worker ... " ...

Kaizen Worker Lean Manufacturing System: Via Alameda Times-Star: NUMMI always a step ahead when it comes to workers' health ...

Kaizen Improves Safety Performance ...

Great article on the application of kaizen to the improvement of safety performance. Christopher D. Chapman educates us on kaizen. ...

... "Kaizen, a systematic approach and problem-solving tool adopted from the Toyota Production System (TPS), is aimed at quickly implementing low-cost improvements that result in measurable impact. It can be used to enhance your safety program effectiveness exponentially. While kaizen traditionally and primarily has focused on production and efficiency numbers, it can effectively be shifted to improving safety and ergonomics.
" ...

Kaizen Improves Safety Performance: Via Occupational Hazards: Using Kaizen to Improve Safety and Ergonomics ...

Lean Six Sigma: Army Adopts

Army adopts Lean Six Sigma methodology ...

... "The Army's growing Lean Six Sigma program has its roots in a corporate method of eliminating wasted time, money and material. Lean Six Sigma integrates two independently-developed improvement tools: Lean and Six Sigma. Lean is an outgrowth of the Toyota production system, and focuses on increasing efficiency and reducing cycle time by the elimination of waste. " ...

Lean Six Sigma: Army Adopts: Via Army: Army adopting Lean Six Sigma:

Lean Manufacturing: Software Enables Waste Reduction ...

Oracle software enables lean manufacturing transformation at Asia automotive parts manufacturer. ...

... "AAPICO Hitech Plc, an automotive parts company based in Thailand, implemented Oracle applications and technology to enable lean manufacturing operations, Oracle announced. AAPICO will soon be ready for fulfilling complex customer requests while reducing waste in its supply chain. AAPICO wanted to move towards a demand-driven supply chain to accommodate the just-in-time manufacturing schedules of its customers to reduce inventory and fulfillment times. The company, a progressive jig, die and automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts vendor with facilities in Thailand, Malaysia and China, supplies parts to all major car manufacturers in Thailand including Toyota, Honda, Isuzu, Ford, Mazda and Nissan. AAPICO began its migration to lean manufacturing through a pilot program with the support of Auto Alliance Thailand and Toyota. The program brought about quick success, as AAPICO received Toyota's coveted TPS (Toyota Production System) Championship Award in 2004 and again in 2005. After the conclusion of the program, the company decided to implement an enterprise software system to provide the platform for lean manufacturing and integrate the network of facilities.

After a careful evaluation of several vendors' offerings, AAPICO chose Oracle to support lean manufacturing using Oracle Database and the Oracle E-Business Suite, specifically the Oracle Supply Chain Management (SCM) suite, which includes Oracle Discrete Manufacturing, Oracle Flow Manufacturing and Oracle Order Management applications. AAPICO also selected Deloitte Consulting LLP to lead consulting services and additional software from A-Host, a Certified Partner in the Oracle PartnerNetwork. " ...

Lean Manufacturing: Software Enables Waste Reduction: Fastest-Growing Automotive Parts Company in Thailand Implements Oracle E-Business Suite to Enable Lean Manufacturing: Company Moves to Lean Manufacturing To Eliminate Waste and Reduce Risk in the Supply Chain for Thai, Malaysian and Chinese Facilities ...

Lean Manufacturing: Chrysler Doing It Right ...

Lean manufacturing implementation at Chrysler Group positions it for success as its sister division must make hard choices. ...

... "New DaimlerChrysler AG CEO Dieter Zetsche defended job cuts at the company's Mercedes division, saying in an interview made available Saturday that the division could learn something about lean manufacturing from Chrysler Group. " ...

Lean Manufacturing: Chrysler Doing It Right: Via The Charlotte Observer: Zetsche defends cuts, says Mercedes could learn from Chrysler

Additional resources on Chrysler lean manufacturing progress:

Lean Manufacturing, Kaizan, Kanban, Just In Time Articles: "Chrysler Group is moving up the rankings quickly, helped by a 9.5% improvement in engine productivity. Since 2001, the company has gained 19% in productivity across assembly, stamping and powertrain measures."

The Daimler-Chrysler Collision - Another merger in search of that elusive synergy By James Surowiecki: "And there is the hope that Chrysler's lean manufacturing style will help Daimler shake up a company that is still heavy with layers of middle management. Chrysler makes four times as many cars as Daimler with fewer than half the workers ... "

The Tale of a New Manufacturing Economy: "This adverse downturn was significant in another way. After years of denial, it drove many manufacturers, such as the US automotive industry, to become more productive by embracing the Toyota Production System (aka, lean manufacturing). After implementing lean, Chrysler raised its total productivity by over 7% last year ... "

Boeing Lean Manufacturing Production System ...

Boeing will build the 787 on a new production system based on lean manufacturing principles. ...

... "The company also has adopted a new lean-manufacturing production system based on Toyota's. The new assembly line in Everett for the 787 will be the ultimate application of lean principles, with suppliers sending in huge completed sections from around the globe for a three-day assembly process. " ...

Via KING5 Seattle News: Successor to Boeing 737 likely to be built in state ...

Additional resources on Boeing lean manufacturing principles:

Via Boeing: Environmental Reports - Creating - Build it Lean: "These ideas are called Lean Manufacturing, which draws on the insights and skills of the men and women whose hands form our products. It starts at the detail level, where small increments of waste can go unnoticed in the great push to assemble an airplane. By stepping out of their regular routine and taking stock of their work space and processes, with the coaching of a manufacturing expert, our employees have mounted a grass-roots revolt against waste."

Via Boeing: Lean Enterprise Successes: "To date, IDS application of Lean principles has led to products with fewer parts, are easier to build and support, have higher quality and are more affordable. The net result is higher customer satisfaction, better opportunity for growth and increased shareholder value."

Via Boeing: All Systems Go - Vol. 2, No. 3: "The introduction of Lean manufacturing to the shop floor in 1999 changed everything. Today the Mesa site is one of the company's Lean showpieces and is a candidate for the prestigious Shingo Prize."

Kaizen: Lean Staffing Techniques

In a competitive market, kaizen and lean staffing techniques can be a competitive edge. Marla Dickerson explores the techniques of cola maker Ajegroup who know how to compete in the marketplace. ...

... "Lean staffing is another cost-cutting tool. Spokesman Paredes said the company's modern equipment, coupled with so-called kaizen, or continuous improvement, techniques, have helped it reduce the number of workers on each of the Huejotzingo plant's seven production lines to eight, which he says is fewer than half that of a typical bottling facility. " ...

Kaizen: Lean Staffing Techniques: In Mexico, Taking Fizz Out of the Cola Giants - Via Los Angeles Times

Additional resources on lean staffing techniques:

Kaizen Rapid Process | Lean Thinking | Lean and the Environment | Via EPA: "Kaizen, or rapid improvement processes, often is considered to be the building block of all lean production methods. Kaizen focuses on eliminating waste, improving productivity, and achieving sustained continual improvement in targeted activities and processes of an organization. Lean production is founded on the idea of kaizen or continual improvement. This philosophy implies that small, incremental changes routinely applied and sustained over a long period result in significant improvements. "

Feature Article - Building Better Powertrains Through Lean Approaches at Toyota: "The addition of three machinists known as the 'kaizen team' swells the ranks to a grand total of 17. And this kind of lean staffing exists throughout TMMWV. Toyota can operate in this mode because of a single-minded pursuit of the lean practices of the Toyota Production System (TPS). "

Via OnDemandJournal: "There is no greater roadblock to continuous improvement than a person who is fighting to keep a job that's not needed, especially if he's in a management role. Since small businesses already have lean staffing, that's less likely to be a problem. "

Toyoyta Production System: Heijunka Leveling ...

Heijunka leveling is used in the Toyota production system. Doron Levin explores the challenges ahead for US automakers. ...

... "By investing more conservatively in new plant capacity and foregoing peak demand, Toyota (and its Japanese rivals Honda and Nissan) have minimised the idle time in factories that kills profits. The theory is called heijunka in Japanese, which means levelling, and is integral to Toyota's production system. " ...

Via NZ Herald: Time for Detroit to work out that less is more ...

Kaizen Mindset: Higher Targets ...

Seizo Okamoto, Toyota Motor Corp exec, provides his perspective on the Toyota Production System, TPS, and the challenge of creating the kaizen mindset through higher targets. ...

Kaizen Mindset: Higher Targets: Via American International Automobile Dealers: Indiana plant president passes on lessons ...

... "What's the most difficult aspect of the Toyota Production System to grasp? A. Kaizen -- it's not easy to maintain continuous improvement. You have to motivate [people] to have the kaizen mind-set. Then management has to give them higher targets, and then higher targets. " ...

Kaizen: Heart of the Toyota Production System ...

Toyota Motor Corp. continues its push in automotive leadership, leveraging kaizen methods. ...

Kaizen: Heart of the Toyota Production System: Via Detroit News: Relentless-Toyota is poised to overtake GM, but here's the scariest part: Now it's stepping on the gas.

... "At the heart of the renowned Toyota Production System are two principles: kaizen, or continuous improvement, and respect for people. U.S. automakers first saw the system in action after Toyota formed a manufacturing venture in California with GM in 1984. " ...

Lean Heijunka Scheduling ...

Heijunka seeks to level the production work schedule by volume and product mix. Julie Fraser explores the field of production scheduling where the power of software can enable lean heijunka scheduling. ...

Lean Heijunka Scheduling: Via Manufacturing Business Technology: Where planning meets execution: specialized scheduling ...

... "Lean heijunka scheduling is for lean purists following the Toyota Production System. Leaders are replacing spreadsheets with packaged software ... " ...

Lean Technology: TPS Production Management ...

Factory Logic has digitized the Toyota Production System TPS to enable standardized production management. ...

Lean Technology: TPS Production Management: Via Factory Logic: FACTORY LOGIC SELECTED AS FINALIST FOR PRESTIGIOUS PACE AWARD: Company’s Enabling Lean Technology Recognized for Superior Innovation ...

... "Factory Logic, the leading provider of Lean solutions that meet the needs of the Customer Demand-Driven Factory, today announced that it has been selected as a finalist for a 2006 Automotive News Magazine’s PACE™ (Premier Automotive Suppliers’ Contributions to Excellence) Award. The coveted PACE Award honors superior innovation through technological advancement and business performance among automotive suppliers. Factory Logic’s Lean Operations Suite provides production scheduling and pull-based material flow applications designed to help manufacturers realize the tremendous potential of demand-driven lean manufacturing. " ...

Kaizen Events: Positive Impact on Internal Process ...

Through the use of kaizen events, TG Fluid Systems was able to improve visibility, organize its workspace, reduce excess inventory, better utilize its workspace, and better fulfill customer orders. ...

Kaizen Events: Positive Impact on Internal Process: Via NIST: TG Fluid Systems USA: MEP Providing Hands-On Help to TG Fluid Systems ...

... "MMTC Lean specialists assisted TG Fluid in implementing the Toyota Production System values throughout the company. Lean Business Solutions allowed TG Fluid to align management personnel with the Lean ideology, and individual kaizen events and champion training allowed designated employees to see first hand the positive impact Lean methods have on internal processes. MMTC staff worked with TG Fluid material handlers to identify improvement targets. Results were immediate. " ...

Lean Manufacturing: Toyota Special Sauce ...

Lean manufacturing is the special sauce that powers the Toyota production system. Doron Levin writes about the challenges facing US auto manufacturing in their competition with quality and efficiency leader, Toyota Motor Corp.

Lean Manufacturing: Toyota Special Sauce: Via Bloomberg: Toyota Trounces Detroit in a Million Little Ways ...

... "From a financial standpoint, Toyota benefits from a manufacturing system that spits out Camrys so efficiently and at such low cost that U.S.- based automakers have a tough time keeping up. " ...

Customer Value Leadership: Kaizen Jidoka

Leadership is required to drive major transformation. John Baldoni explores the leadership competencies associated with the Toyota production system, based on driving customer value through kaizen and jidoka.

Customer Value Leadership: Kaizen Jidoka: Via CIO: Leading from Within ...

... "Toyota managers and employees operate on principles of just in time delivery, jidoka (quality) and kaizen (continuous improvement). All of these endeavors are focused to do one thing: Deliver value to the customer-value that the customer desires, wants and will pay for. " ...

Lean Six Sigma Methodology: Kaizen Competition

Lean Six Sigma Methodology: Kaizen Competition: Via Solectron: Solectron Drives Lean Six Sigma Manufacturing to its Suppliers: First Annual Award Judges Include Lean author, Jim Womack and Toyota Production System Expert Chichiro Nakao-San ...

Solectron drives operational efficiency through kaizen competition using its own flavor of the Lean Six Sigma Methodology ...

... "Solectron announced the Penang, Malaysia, facility as the winner of Solectron's first annual Global SPS Kaizen Competition. SPS is the company's industry-leading Lean Six Sigma methodology for continuous manufacturing improvement in quality and efficiency. Solectron employees have completed more than 5,000 Kaizens, a Japanese term that means continuous improvement, this year throughout its global operations. ... Entries for the contest were submitted from over 50 Solectron sites around the world. From those entries, 11 finalists from Europe, Asia and the Americas gathered in San Jose, Calif., to recognize the winner. Judges included Jim Womack, founder of the Lean Enterprise Institute and co-author of Lean Thinking and Chichiro Nakao-San, who spent over 30 years at Toyota Corporation refining its ground-breaking manufacturing methodology. ... Solectron's 2005 Supplier Day formally launched Solectron's Lean supplier program, which forms the foundation of Solectron's vision to deliver competitive supply chain solutions to its customers. The one-day event included breakout sessions on Lean 101, an introduction to the Solectron Production System; Solectron's Lean supply chain program; an overview of increasing customer value through design and engineering for Lean production; and Lean deployment from a supplier perspective. " ...

Solectron provides a full range of global manufacturing and supply-chain management services to the world's premier high-tech companies. Solectron's offerings include new-product design and introduction services, materials management, product manufacturing, and product warranty and end-of-life support. The company is based in Milpitas, Calif., and had sales from continuing operations of $11.64 billion in fiscal 2004.

Lean Thinking in Healthcare Event ...

Via Arizona Quality Alliance: Lean Thinking in Healthcare ...

... "Lean Thinking in Healthcare – Collaborative Patient Focused Process Improvement

Friday, September 16th; 9:00am-4:30pm, University of Phoenix, Room #104, 4635 East Elwood, Phoenix 85040

Course Overview: Lean thinking, adapted from Toyota Production System, is a process that engages staff and physicians in making significant change. Organizations that have used lean thinking have developed improvement cultures, not just improvement events or programs. Lean thinking provides fast and dramatic results. " ...

Kanban Toyota TPS Information Device ...

Kanban Toyota TPS Information Device: TMMK -|- Toyota Production System Terms

... "Toyota's use of Kanban, a unique information-carrying device ensures that every operation produces only the amount of parts that will actually be used in the next step of the production process. " ...

TPS Heijunka Tools: People Key ...

Role of Management in a Lean Manufacturing Environment (SAE International) ...

Gary Convis, President, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, writes ...

... "The Toyota Production system is an integrated and interdependent system involving many elements. I like to think of it as a triangle, where one side is philosophy, one side is technology, and the other side is management. Cradled in the middle of the triangle is what TPS is really all about - people. Human development is at the very core of TPS. It is often overlooked, as people seize on the more tangible aspects of TPS. Engineers are particularly likely to latch on to tools like kanban, heijunka, and jidoka, and think they have captured the essence of TPS. " ...

Lean Enterprise Simulation Model ...

Simulation Model of the Lean Manufacture of NIF Assemblies

... "The concept of Lean Manufacturing, which was pioneered at Toyota, emphasizes continuous improvement through the identification of the value stream and the reduction of waste, and making value flow at the pull of the customer. The Lean concepts have been applied to many manufacturing applications in industry, most notably the major automotive plants. The NIF Lean Enterprise Team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is working to apply the concepts of Lean Manufacturing to the production of the mechanical and optical assemblies which will comprise the NIF system. Application of the Lean concepts requires the identification of the value stream, along with streamlining of the production process, such that unnecessary steps are eliminated, and production flows according to the demand schedule in a 'just-in-time' manner." ...

Lean Thinking in Healthcare ...

Toyota Lean Thinking Combined with IHI Reducing Waits and Delays used to re-engineer primary care ...

... "Toyota Lean Thinking Combined with IHI Reducing Waits and Delays used to re-engineer primary care ...

ML Allen, MD, Chief Primary Care, N FL/S Georgia Veterans Health System; L Boyer, ARNP, Administrative Officer, N FL/S Georgia Veterans Health System; M Wilkes, MSN, Clinical PI Specialist, N FL/S Georgia Veterans Health System:

Objectives: To achieve radically increased capacity, remove waste, and reduce clinic waits and delays by 20-30% in Primary Care, Outpatient Pharmacy and Lab, these areas needed 'blown-up'. Toyota Production System of Lean Thinking and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's (IHI) model for Open Access did the job." ...

Lean Manufacturing Training Workshops ...

Lean Manufacturing Training Workshops: Lean Manufacturing Training from Brookline Company Helps Local ...

Upcoming lean manufacturing workshops ...

From PR Newswire (press release) ... LEI) will help industry and suppliers in the Boston region cut costs, improve profits, and defend jobs by eliminating waste through lean manufacturing. ...

... A series of workshops presented by the Brookline-based nonprofit Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI) will help industry and suppliers in the Boston region cut costs, improve profits, and defend jobs by eliminating waste through lean manufacturing. The series of seven workshops, including new ones on value-stream mapping for offices and healthcare, will run March 29-31 at the Wyndham Boston hotel, Boston, MA. ...

Lean manufacturing cuts costs and inventories rapidly to free cash and resources, which is critical in a competitive world economy. Lean supports growth by improving productivity and quality, reducing lead times, and freeing resources. For example, it frees office and plant space and increases capacity so companies can add product lines, in-source component production, and increase output of existing products. Companies implementing lean can take advantage of renewed economic growth by increasing sales while controlling costs. Based in Brookline, MA, the Lean Enterprise Institute is a nonprofit training, publishing, and research organization founded by James Womack, Ph.D., in August 1997. It has developed simple but powerful tools for implementing a set of ideas known as lean production and lean thinking, based initially on the Toyota Production System and now extended to an entire Lean Business System.

Lean Manufacturing Shingo Prize ...

Lean Manufacturing Shingo Prize: Celestica wins prestigious Shingo Prize for Lean manufacturing ...

Celestica manufacturing wins Shingo Prize for lean manufacturing excellence ...

From PR Newswire (press release) ... dramatic performance improvements in lead-time reduction and process improvements, and pass a site audit by a team of Lean manufacturing experts appointed by ...

... Celestica Inc. (NYSE: CLS, TSX: CLS/SV), a world leader in electronics manufacturing services (EMS), today announced its facility in Monterrey, Mexico won the prestigious 2005 Shingo Prize, for manufacturing excellence - making Celestica the first EMS provider to be recognized with the honour. The acclaimed Shingo Prize, established in 1988, is awarded annually to companies that exhibit outstanding achievements in manufacturing practices which translate into strong customer satisfaction and business results. Celestica was recognized with the Shingo 'Business Prize' for demonstrating significant improvements that highlight the value of using Lean practices to attain world-class status in manufacturing. ...

Celestica is a world leader in the delivery of innovative electronics manufacturing services (EMS). Celestica operates a highly sophisticated global manufacturing network with operations in Asia, Europe and the Americas, providing a broad range of integrated services and solutions to leading OEMs (original equipment manufacturers). Celestica's expertise in quality, technology and supply chain management, and leadership in the global deployment of Lean principles, enables the company to provide competitive advantage to its customers by improving time-to-market, scalability and manufacturing efficiency.

The Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing is named for Japanese industrial engineer Shigeo Shingo, who distinguished himself as one of the world's leading experts in improving manufacturing processes. Dr. Shingo has been described as an "engineering genius" who helped create and write about many aspects of the revolutionary manufacturing practices which comprise the renowned Toyota Production System. The Prize was established in 1988 to promote awareness of Lean manufacturing concepts and recognize companies in the United States, Canada, and Mexico that achieve world-class manufacturing status. The Shingo Prize philosophy is that world-class business performance may be achieved through focused improvements in core manufacturing and business processes.

Lean Manufacturing Drives Responsiveness in Customer Service ...

Lean Manufacturing Drives Responsiveness: Allen-Edmonds Serves Customers Better with Lean Manufacturing ...

Lean manufacturing implementation results in customer responsiveness and rising profits ...

From Business Wire (press release), CA ... About one year after implementing a lean manufacturing system, premium men's footwear maker Allen ...

... About one year after implementing a lean manufacturing system, premium men's footwear maker Allen-Edmonds Shoe Corporation is reporting impressive results. In January 2004, Allen-Edmonds unveiled a manufacturing plan designed to offset rising production costs, increase profitability and improve responsiveness to customers. Lean concepts such as Just-in-Time, cellular manufacturing and the Toyota Sewing System were integrated into the company's largest production facility in Port Washington, Wisconsin. Key performance data were collected to track the new system's effectiveness. ...

Founded in 1922, Allen-Edmonds Shoe Corporation manufactures premium men's footwear, accessories and cedar products using the philosophy of quality, service and integrity. Taking shoemaking to the level of an art form, each pair of Allen-Edmonds shoes is handcrafted in a process that includes over 200 production steps. Made in the U.S.A., Allen-Edmonds products are available at upscale stores worldwide and on the Internet.

Lean Value Stream for NIF Assemblies

Simulation Model of the Lean Manufacture of NIF Assemblies

... "The concept of Lean Manufacturing, which was pioneered at Toyota, emphasizes continuous improvement through the identification of the value stream and the reduction of waste, and making value flow at the pull of the customer. The Lean concepts have been applied to many manufacturing applications in industry, most notably the major automotive plants. The NIF Lean Enterprise Team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is working to apply the concepts of Lean Manufacturing to the production of the mechanical and optical assemblies which will comprise the NIF system. Application of the Lean concepts requires the identification of the value stream, along with streamlining of the production process, such that unnecessary steps are eliminated, and production flows according to the demand schedule in a 'just-in-time' manner." ...

Toyota TPS Kaizen Concepts ...

U.S.-Japan Investment Initiative ...

... "Toyota Motor Corporation has expanded local production in the U.S. since starting production in 1986 at New UnitedMotor Manufacturing (NUMMI) in California, a Toyota/General Motors joint venture. As a result of the expansion, localproduction reached 990,000 units, and North America-made vehicles accounted for 59.2% of their U.S. sales in 2002. Itcontributed to the U.S. economy and employment, as well as to improvement of production efficiency in the U.S.automobile industry through introduction of the Toyota production system, such as the concept of Kaizen. Theircumulative U.S. investment has reached $12 billion and they directly employ 30,000 workers. Moreover, in February 2003 they announced a plan to construct a fourth U.S. vehicle assembly plant (for pickup trucks)in San Antonio, Texas by 2006. After beginning operation of the plant in 2006, their production capacity in the U.S. willreach 1.35 million units, their cumulative U.S. investment will become $13 billion, and they will employ 32,000 workers.In addition to the fact that Texas is the top U.S. truck market, an enthusiastic welcome from state and local governmentscontributed to the decision to construct of theplant in Texas. The state and local governments coordinated the initiativeto assemble a package of state and local financial incentives to attract the plant." ...

Goodrich Lean Manufacturing Pays Off ...

SignOnSanDiego.com -- Goodrich division lands Airbus contract: Bruce V. Bigelow, San Diego Union-Tribune, writes... Recent contract wins by Goodrich have invigorated the viability of the Aerostructures Group and have validated the company's lean manufacturing transformation which is contributing to an increase in operational efficiency.

... Goodrich Aerostructures Group started in 1940 as Rohr Aircraft. Learn more about our proud history as a leading designer, producer and integrator of nacelle systems and other aerospace products. Since August 1996, the Aerostructures Group has been implementing Lean Manufacturing methods throughout all aspects of the business. Based on the Toyota Production System, Lean Enterprising solicits every employee's involvement in defining each product's value stream - the series of specific activities needed to get from raw material to finished item. The Group then uses week-long Lean events involving employees, customers, and suppliers to eliminate unnecessary steps from every value stream. The result? Through the use of Lean tools, the Aerostructures Group has realized 50% improvements in product build hours and flow times in many areas. The Group has also been able to support dramatic customer production rate increases and also absorb additional work with no increase in resources. ...

Lean Operations Software Deployment at Johnson Controls ...

Lean Operations Software: Johnson Controls Automotive Group Begins Largest Deployment of ...

From Business Wire (press release), CA ... 5, 2005--Factory Logic(TM), the leading provider of lean manufacturing and supply chain management solutions, announces that the Automotive Group of Johnson ...

... Factory Logic(TM), the leading provider of lean manufacturing and supply chain management solutions, announces that the Automotive Group of Johnson Controls Inc. (NYSE:JCI) has initiated deployment of the Factory Logic Lean Operations Management System across 30 Johnson Controls manufacturing facilities in North America. Johnson Controls is one of the world's largest automotive suppliers, and this implementation of Factory Logic is the largest deployment of lean operations software ever undertaken. Factory Logic is a comprehensive operations management solution built around key concepts of the Toyota Production System (TPS). It complements existing business systems to help manufacturers accelerate the adoption of lean techniques, sustain their benefits, and ensure their consistent application across the enterprise. ...

Factory Logic is dedicated to helping companies improve customer responsiveness and eliminate waste by delivering manufacturing and supply chain management solutions that support and enhance the use of key techniques pioneered in the Toyota Production System (TPS), and that make lean manufacturing practical for a wider range of manufacturing environments. Factory Logic is the first company to team lean manufacturing specialists with experienced software professionals to develop a standard software product built around the principles of lean production. The result is the Factory Logic(TM) Lean Operations Management System -- a new breed of factory and supply chain management system that truly addresses the operational needs of the lean enterprise while integrating smoothly with enterprise level business systems. The Factory Logic software integrates heijunka scheduling, inventory projection monitoring, flexible cell resource planning, kanban supermarket management, and operational alerts into a comprehensive solution design to work in harmony with visual factory controls and scale to the level of an entire factory, enterprise, or supply chain. For its pioneering work, Factory Logic is the first software company to have been awarded the Shingo Prize.


Additional resources on lean operations software ...

Factory Logic lean manufacturing management software: The Shingo Prize winning Factory Logic™ Lean Operations Management System is a new breed of operational management software built from the ground up to ...

Manufacturing Operations - Software, Hardware, Services: gives you the technology platform you need to make your lean initiative a ... Visiprise Operations Performance Management by Visiprise, Inc. (SOFTWARE PRODUCT). ...

Lean Manufacturing: considering Lean software solutions. With this technique, manufacturers first think through how they want their operations to run after the new software is in ...

NAVAIR Depot Gets Lean ...

From NAVAIR, Susan Brink, NAVAIR Public Affairs Specialist writes ...

... "NAVAIR Depot Jax has determined that the next step to be taken to become a world-class organization is the empowerment methodology known in the industry as Lean Operations. So what is Lean, and why use that tool in the depot environment? Lean is simply a method that was initially developed by the Japanese to manufacture automobiles, referred to as the Toyota Production System. The method has evolved into a very dynamic tool set that is applicable to all businesses and disciplines. Its primary focus starts with the identification and elimination of waste. Waste, in this instance, refers to any activity in a process that does not add value to the generation of a quality product. Some examples include the time associated with waiting for parts or paperwork, searching for parts, and walking around the plant to retrieve tools, parts, or work instructions. Lean also transforms production processes from an inefficient push system to a more efficient and less costly flow and pull system. There are other businesses in the industry that utilize the Lean methodology and have seen success. NAVAIR Depot Jax has partnered with General Electric Aircraft Engines to see what has worked for them and identify processes throughout the Depot to review." ...

RFID-enabled Lean Manufacturing: Factory Logic Announces RFID-based Material Flow Tracking & ...

From Business Wire (press release), CA ... Factory Logic, the leading provider of lean manufacturing and material management applications, today announced RFID Material Flow Tracking & Analytics -- an ...

... Factory Logic, the leading provider of lean manufacturing and material management applications, today announced RFID Material Flow Tracking & Analytics -- an innovative new component of its award-winning Factory Logic(TM) Lean Operations Management System. Designed specifically for factories using lean production techniques, this new capability helps factory personnel further reduce waste in terms of both inventory and manpower, while ensuring a smooth, reliable production flow. The new capability combines Radio Frequency Identification technology for shop floor tracking with powerful analysis of kanban movement to provide production and supply chain managers with insight into their actual material flow that has not been possible until now. Data collection is completely transparent and non-intrusive - it does not require any action on the part of shop floor personnel, nor does it interfere in any way with visual factory controls such as kanban, heijunka boards, etc. Used with Factory Logic's heijunka sequencing and scheduling, kanban management, and production monitoring applications, RFID Material Flow Tracking and Analytics provides factory personnel with automatic real-time tracking of kanban movement through the factory to collect precise measurements of actual production performance, including: demand, cycle time, batch sizes, inventory levels, and material velocity. ...

Factory Logic is dedicated to helping companies improve customer responsiveness and eliminate waste by delivering manufacturing and supply chain management solutions that support and enhance the use of key techniques pioneered in the Toyota Production System (TPS), and that make lean manufacturing practical for a wider range of manufacturing environments. With headquarters in Austin, Texas, Factory Logic is the first company to team lean manufacturing specialists with experienced software professionals to develop a standard software product built around the principles of lean production. The result is the Factory Logic(TM) Lean Operations Management System -- a new breed of factory and supply chain management solution that truly matches the operational needs of the lean enterprise while integrating smoothly with enterprise level business systems. In 2001, Factory Logic was the first software company to be awarded the Shingo Prize for its pioneering work.

Taiichi Ohno: Lean Initiative

From AFMC/industry team looks for turbine engine improvements ...

... "The philosophy, Lean Production, was pioneered by Toyota executive Taiichi Ohno and used in the Toyota Production System. The principles of lean thinking were first documented in the U.S. by researchers from MIT International Motor Vehicle Program and in the book 'The Machine That Changed the World' by James Womack, Daniel Jones and Daniel Roos. The lean philosophy employs five basic principles of lean thinking: (1) specify value from the perspective of the end customer, (2) identify the value stream for each product, (3) create continuous flow of the product, (4) let the customer 'pull' the product and (5) strive for perfection. " ...

Lean Manufacturing Solutions: Enterprise Software Veteran Joins Factory Logic; Robert Johnson ...

From Business Wire (press release), CA ... Factory Logic, the leading provider of lean manufacturing and supply chain management solutions, today announced that Robert Johnson, former SAP ...

... Factory Logic, the leading provider of lean manufacturing and supply chain management solutions, today announced that Robert Johnson, former SAP America Sales Vice President and Strategic Business Unit Director, has joined Factory Logic as Vice President of Sales. ...

Factory Logic is dedicated to helping companies improve customer responsiveness and eliminate waste by delivering operations management solutions that support and enhance the use of key techniques pioneered in the Toyota Production System (TPS), and that make lean manufacturing practical for a wider range of companies. Factory Logic is the first company to team lean manufacturing specialists with experienced software professionals to develop a standard software product built from the ground up around the principles of lean production. The result is the Factory Logic(TM) Lean Operations Management System - a new breed of factory and supply chain management system that addresses the operational needs of the lean enterprise while integrating smoothly with enterprise level business systems. The Factory Logic software integrates heijunka scheduling, inventory projection monitoring, flexible cell resource planning, kanban/supermarket management, and operational alerts into a comprehensive solution design to work in harmony with visual factory controls and scale to the level of an entire factory, enterprise, or supply chain.

Lean Value Stream: Resource Management

From Robins Air Force Base, Air Force Materiel Command ...

... "By 1950, the Japanese, who greatly admired Henry Ford, established the Toyota Production system that began to eliminate waste from the process. In the 1970s, the Japanese continued to implement American principles by Juran, Deming, Shewhart, and Crosby at Toyota. By 1980s, Americans took notice of the loss of market share of automobiles, shipbuilding, electronics, avionics, office equipment, etc., and embraced Quality. By the late 1980s, Toyota had nearly achieved Lean. Over the years, the Air Force explored various programs such as Zero Defects, Meaningful Measures of Merit, Total Quality Management, and QP4 in an effort to streamline processes and eliminate waste. By 1990, the focus became Lean Principles with the establishment of five principles: Value, Value Stream, Flow, Pull, and Perfection. By 2000, Lean was used in Production, Services and Remanufacturing. With Lean, the customer determined the first principle to be value, based on cost, quality, and delivery. " ...

Robins Air Force Base, home of Warner Robins Air Logistics Center and more than 60 other units that make up a vital part of the Air Force war fighting team. It is the largest industrial complex in Georgia, employing a work force of over 25,584 civilian, contractor, and military members.

Lean Kaizen Training: Lean Manufacturing Workshops Help Southern Industry Compete

From Yahoo News (press release) ... Value-Stream Mapping (Nov. 30): Learn a fundamental initial step that creates the blueprint for applying other lean tools and running kaizen events. NEW! ...

Training workshops from LEI focus on how to implement key lean manufacturing tools, which will enable industry to drive operational efficiency success ...

... Regional lean manufacturing training from the nonprofit Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI), will help industry and suppliers cut costs, improve profits, and defend jobs by eliminating waste. ...

The Lean Enterprise Institute is a nonprofit training, publishing, and research organization founded by James Womack, PhD, in August 1997. It has developed simple but powerful tools for implementing a set of ideas known as lean production and lean thinking, based initially on the Toyota Production System and now extended to an entire Lean Business System.

Lean Language: Can-ban or Kahn-bahn? The New Lean Lexicon Answers This and Much ...

From Yahoo News (press release) ... Unlike most other business glossaries, the Lexicon is focused exclusively on lean thinking and lean manufacturing, makes abundant use of illustrations and ...

The Lean Enterprise Institute has published the second edition of the Lean Lexicon...

... Are the slips of paper that convey information between processes in lean production called can-ban cards or kahn-bahn cards? The answers to this and many other questions about key lean terms are in the new and expanded Second Edition of the Lean Lexicon: A Graphical Glossary for Lean Thinkers, published by the Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI), a nonprofit training, publishing, and research company. ...

The Lean Enterprise Institute is a nonprofit training, publishing, and research organization founded by James Womack, PhD, in August 1997. It has developed simple but powerful tools for implementing a set of ideas known as lean manufacturing and lean thinking, based initially on the Toyota Production System and now extended to an entire Lean Business System.

The Kaizen Approach: Taking Toyota to a New Place on the Web, PlanetKaizen

From Yahoo News (press release) ... to the public.". The name PlanetKaizen was inspired by Toyota's dedication to continuous improvement, or kaizen. While Toyota is ...

... Toyota is peeling back the metal on its cars and trucks to divulge the inner workings and engineering advances on its vehicles to auto enthusiasts via a new website, PlanetKaizen (www.toyota.com/planetkaizen). PlanetKaizen is an entirely new interactive direction for Toyota to share its rich heritage and product innovations to enthusiasts who pore over car magazines, spend hours surfing the Internet for automotive information each week and serve as "car gurus" to their friends and relatives. ...

... Learn about the Kaizen approach on Toyota's new website, PlanetKaizen. There are many interesting reference materials on the Toyota production system and kaizen techniques.

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion in the United States, marketing products and services through a network of 1415 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers in 49 states. Established in 1957, TMS and its subsidiaries also are involved in distribution logistics, motorsports, R&D and general aviation.

Lean Production / Lean Manufacturing Videos: Womack Videos 1 and 2

From Defense Systems Management College ... James P. Womack is currently an author and an advisor to many firms seeking to adopt the principles and techniques of Lean manufacturing & business. Mr. Womack, while a professor at MIT, co-authored the book "The Machine that Changed the World", which introduced readers worldwide to the concepts of Lean manufacturing, as typified by the manufacturing management processes used by the Toyota automotive company. Mr. Womack also co-authored the book "Lean Thinking" which describes application of Lean principles outside manufacturing and outside the automobile industry.

... James Womack, then another IMVP researcher in the late 1980s, credits Henry Ford with developing the first "Lean" principles, in the second decade of the 20th century. Indeed, Taiichi Ohno, the father of the Toyota Production System, TPS-the embodiment of "Lean" principles-credits Ford with the inspiration for Toyota Motor Company to spend 50+ years developing their manufacturing techniques and management principles based upon what we now call "lean" ...

Heijunka Scheduling: RWD Technologies and Factory Logic Team to Deliver Lean ...

From MMH.com, United States ... The Factory Logic software integrates heijunka scheduling, inventory projection monitoring, flexible cell resource planning, kanban/supermarket management, and ...

... RWD Technologies, Inc. and Factory Logic today announced a strategic relationship to provide lean manufacturing solutions that combine RWD's transformation and implementation services with the Factory Logic lean operations management software. The jointly delivered solution will help manufacturers accelerate the transformation to a demand-driven enterprise through rapid and effective adoption of lean principles, tools, and techniques. Through its Performance Solutions Division, RWD Technologies is a recognized global leader in lean implementation, with offices and clients around the world. Factory Logic is the leading provider of a new generation of manufacturing and supply chain software built from the ground up to support the key concepts of lean manufacturing and the Toyota Production System (TPS). ...

Factory Logic is dedicated to helping companies improve customer responsiveness and eliminate waste by delivering factory management solutions that support and enhance the use of key concepts pioneered in the Toyota Production System (TPS), and that make lean production practical for a wider range of manufacturing environments. Founded in Austin, Texas in 1998, Factory Logic is the first company to team lean manufacturing specialists with experienced software professionals to develop a standard software product built around the principles of lean production. The result is Streamline™ - a comprehensive off the shelf Lean Factory Management System. Through the deployment of Streamline software and the guidance of experienced consultants, Factory Logic is helping a growing number of leading companies in the automotive, electronics, industrial equipment and aerospace industries move to the next level of performance on the Journey to Lean.

An overview of FactoryLogic's Software follows...

Factory Logic's Streamline™ Lean Factory Management System provides all the key functional capabilities needed to manage the lean, demand-driven factory, while also enabling faster response to change and extending visual factory concepts beyond the production floor. It integrates and automates daily production management activities utilizing a common base of information with up to date customer demand and process characteristics.

Streamline's net-native architecture is built using proven J2EE technology, which provides the security, extensibility and fault tolerance required for developing enterprise class software. The use of J2EE simplifies development of middleware components that are transactional, scalable, and portable. Streamline uses HTTP tunneling to transport XML documents, providing fast and robust transactions to the factory floor. HTTP tunneling in conjunction with SSL provides added reliability and security. In addition, industry standard databases, stable Java services and XML interfaces are utilized for integration with ERP, Supply Chain, and eCommerce systems.

Lean Manufacturing Training: New Lean Production Workshop Supports Vancouver Area Industry

From Yahoo News (press release) ... Lean manufacturing cuts costs and inventories rapidly to free cash and resources, which is critical in a competitive world economy. ...

... Workshops from the nonprofit Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI), will help industry and suppliers cut costs, improve profits, and defend jobs by eliminating waste through lean production. The workshops, including a new one on how to establish and maintain stable production processes, are part of a series of seven that LEI will run Oct. 19 to 21 at the Pan Pacific Vancouver hotel. ...

The Lean Enterprise Institute is a nonprofit training, publishing, and research organization founded by James Womack, PhD, in August 1997. It has developed simple but powerful tools for implementing a set of ideas known as lean production and lean thinking, based initially on the Toyota Production System and now extended to an entire Lean Business System.

Kaizen Event Training: Lean Manufacturing Training Helps Area Companies Compete

From PR Newswire (press release) ... 24): Learn a fundamental initial step that creates the blueprint for applying other lean tools and running kaizen events. -- NEW! Change Agent Skills (Aug. ...

" ... Lean manufacturing training from the nonprofit Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI) will help industry and suppliers in the Rochester area cut costs, improve profits, and defend jobs by eliminating waste through lean production. The workshops, including a new one on how to build support for a lean transformation, are part of a series of six workshops that LEI will run August 24 to 26 at the Hyatt Regency Rochester. LEI runs monthly workshops in different parts of the country to train industry in how to implement lean production.

Lean production cuts costs and inventories rapidly to free cash and resources, which is critical in a competitive world economy. Lean supports growth by improving productivity and quality, reducing lead times, and freeing resources. For example, lean production frees office and plant space and increases capacity so companies can add product lines, in-source component production, and increase output of existing products. Companies implementing lean will be able to take advantage of renewed economic growth by increasing sales without increasing costs ... "

Based in Brookline, Mass., USA, the Lean Enterprise Institute is a nonprofit training, publishing, and research organization founded by James Womack, PhD, in August 1997. It has developed simple but powerful tools for implementing a set of ideas known as lean production and lean thinking, based initially on the Toyota Production System and now extended to an entire Lean Business System.

Lean TPS: Lean Manufacturing and the Toyota Production Systemb

From SAE ... The use of the term Lean, in a business or manufacturing environment, describes a philosophy that incorporates a collection of tools and techniques into the business processes to optimize time, human resources, assets, and productivity, while improving the quality level of products and services to their customers. Becoming Lean is a commitment to a process and a tremendous learning experience should you attempt to implement Lean principles and practices into your organization. The term Lean in the manufacturing environment also refers to the Toyota Production system established by the Toyota Corporation...

The Society of Automotive Engineers has more than 84,000 members - engineers, business executives, educators, and students from more than 97 countries - who share information and exchange ideas for advancing the engineering of mobility systems. SAE is your one-stop resource for standards development, events, and technical information and expertise used in designing, building, maintaining, and operating self-propelled vehicles for use on land or sea, in air or space.

New Lean Manufacturing Book: Kaikaku The Power and Magic of Lean - A new book on Toyota's ...

From Emediawire (press release) ... "Norman Bodek is the secret weapon of lean manufacturing. In his 59 trips to Japan, Norman met Shigeo Shingo, Taiichi Ohno and other ...

PCS Press is a publishing, consulting and training company focusing on improving customer service, quality, and human value. Offices are at 809 SE 73rd Ave., Vancouver, WA 98664, 360-737-1883

NORMAN BODEK, bodek@pcspress.com, Norman Bodek is president of PCS Press, a Vancouver, Washington, publishing, training, and consulting company. He discovered and published the works of the truly great Japanese manufacturing geniuses: Dr. Shigeo Shingo and Taiichi Ohno, the inventors of the Toyota Production System now called JIT and Lean manufacturing and many others. From his numerous trips to Japan he introduced to the western world the Kaizen Blitz, SMED, TPM, QFD, Hoshin Kanri, Poka-Yoke, Visual Factory and other new manufacturing methodologies that have helped companies improve their quality, and productivity. In 1988 he initiated the Shingo Prize for Manufacturing Excellence with Professor Vern Buehler at Utah State University. Most recently he co-authored a book with Bunji Tozawa titled The Idea Generator - Quick and Easy Kaizen. The Quick and Easy Kaizen system recognizes that every worker has hidden creative talent locked inside. This system becomes a powerful tool for management to bring forth lots and lots of small but significant improvement ideas from all their employees. The employee becomes empowered to make changes to improve customer service, to make their worker easier and more fun, to improve quality, to reduce costs, and to improve safety. And it works!

Kaizen Events: Two New Lean Production Workshops Help Local Companies Compete

From PR Newswire (press release) ... are: * Value-Stream Mapping (July 13): learn a fundamental initial step that creates the blueprint for applying other lean tools and running kaizen events. ...

Based in Brookline, Mass., USA, the Lean Enterprise Institute is a nonprofit training, publishing, and research organization founded by James Womack, PhD, in August 1997. It has developed simple but powerful tools for implementing a set of ideas known as lean production and lean thinking, based
initially on the Toyota Production System and now extended to an entire Lean Business System. For more information, visit the LEI News page at http://www.lean.org/WhoWeAre/LEINews.cfm.

Lean Enterprise Assessment: Lean Enterprise Self-Assessment To Measure Transformation Efforts in Aerospace...

The United States Lean Aerospace Initiative (LAI) based at the Massachusetts of Technology (MIT), in collaboration with the UK LAI, announces the public release of the Lean Enterprise Self-Assessment Tool (LESAT) Version 1.0 ...

The Lean Aerospace Initiative (LAI) is an evolving learning community that brings together key aerospace stakeholders from industry, government, organized labor, and MIT. It is a consortium-guided research program led by the MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics in close collaboration with the Sloan School of Management, and is managed under the auspices of the Center for Technology, Policy and Industrial Development (CTPID), a MIT-wide interdisciplinary research center.

The term “lean” refers to the emerging conceptual framework for organizing and managing an organization so as to deliver maximum value to the customer, using the minimum quantity of resources and eliminating all forms of waste. It represents an expansion of the Toyota Production System, which is credited with revolutionizing automobile manufacturing.