"'Lean' and the Toyota Production System"

Robert Hall

Target

Volume 20, Number 3, 2004, pp. 22-27

[Note: Target is only available through membership in the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME). They can be contacted at (847) 520-3282.]

This article provides an overview of how (according to the author) the original Toyota Production System, as practiced in Toyota locations, differs from "lean manufacturing" as practiced by other manufacturers. While not downgrading Lean as a very valuable approach, the author implies that Toyota has some special attributes that are very difficult for other organizations to capture or imitate.

The author contends that the main differences are:

• Lean Manufacturing usually starts with Value Stream Maps to better understand the overall picture of current processes, while Toyota emphasizes first what every process and sub-process should do to move towards the target of zero defects. Toyota tries to squeeze the waste out of sub-processes before attempting to link them closely.
• The Toyota Production System spotlights maximum visibility of waste, prompting more kaizen. Employees are socialized to be always looking for new ways to make improvements. Lean Manufacturing is usually less focused on this "never-ending" aspect
• Lean Manufacturing implementations are more likely to be "engineered" by staff, and to be planned in detailed ways. The author of the article says "A well-structured lean implementation may consider adoption of the tools to be a success, but allow people to remain underdeveloped in problem solving and detailed process problems to remain hidden." Toyota Production System creation is more organic, and does not focus on engineering cultural change or other aspects: "The premise is that workers have vast, untapped potential waiting to be tapped."
• The Toyota Production System emphasizes more worker development, as the basis for ongoing problem solving. Workers learn more primarily through direct experience. The Lean approach usually places more emphasis on formal training than Toyota does.
• The Toyota Production System converts managers to valued "coaches", rather than the approach sometimes used by Lean implementers who may wish to reduce the number of managers to reduce cost.
• The Toyota Production System places more emphasis on standardized work, including documentation, improvement process, layout, work sequence and work methods. Standardized work simultaneously combines holding the improvement and continuous improvement. This is an ongoing effort that takes time to mature. Lean implementers usually do not dedicate as much effort to this process.

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