Articles on Lean Manufacturing, Lean Six Sigma, and The Toyota Production System

We’re pleased to have David Kasprzak as a guest writer today. In his article, he explains the concept of Waste, as understood in Lean Manufacturing and the Toyota Production System, but he takes it further by explaining the concept of waste within the context of Results Oriented Work Environment (ROWE). As a sneak peak, would you [...]

{ 0 comments }

Has the complexity in the integration of software, electronics, and engineering in Toyota vehicles contributed to the safety and vehicle recalls? Does the Toyota Information Technology have anything to do with its safety issues? According to the Toyota North American Quality Advisory Board believes it might, but has not found evidence to establish this hypothesis [...]

{ 0 comments }

Taiichi Ohno was a believer in Standard Work. While this fact is broadly known, his approach to Standard Work is less known and many saying attributed to him that are probably false. In this article we discuss Ohno’s approach to Standard Work and also the motivations behind its practice. To read my reviews of Wakamatsu’s [...]

{ 0 comments }

Are Quality and Safety synonymous? According to the quality advisory panel, they are not. But, Toyota believes they are, which is a possible root cause for the safety issues Toyota has been experiencing with its vehicles. According to the Panel, Toyota has traditionally treated safety as an integral subset of quality. In the Panel’s view, this [...]

{ 1 comment }

Continuing my review of Wakamatsu’s book on Taiichi Ohno, today we’ll explore his views on Genchi Genbutsu, which means “go and see” and how the principle of Genchi Genbutsu can validate truth and expose falsehoods and lies, sometimes found in presentations and excel spreadsheets. To read my reviews of Wakamatsu’s book on Taiichi Ohno, please [...]

{ 0 comments }

After a disappointing earnings call where Toyota’s profit dropped by 18%, Toyota announces that they will be recalling 420,000 vehicles because of a crankshaft problem. Specifically, The safety recall to replace the crankshaft pulley on the V-6 engine affects 283,200 Toyota and 137,000 Lexus vehicles in the U.S., the company said. Worldwide it covers 550,000 [...]

{ 0 comments }