New Toyota Production System (Second Edition)

Author: (Japanese) Ando Yasuhiro
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features:
2. When discussing the Toyota Production System (TPS), one must mention its founder, Taiichi Ohno. Ohno was born in Dalian, China. In 1932, he graduated from Nagoya Higher Industrial School (now Nagoya University of Technology) with a degree in mechanical engineering and immediately joined Toyoda Textile Industry Co., Ltd. In 1942, when Toyoda Textile Industry was dissolved, Ohno transferred to Toyota Motor Company the following year, joining the ranks of Toyoda Kiichiro, who was dedicated to manufacturing domestic automobiles, and thus began his career in automotive manufacturing that would later produce monumental works. Ohno was a practitioner who emphasized on-site work. During his tenure as Vice President of Toyota Motor Company, he once said, "Sitting in a corner of the large production management room, compared to musing in the Vice President's office, allows me to directly hear the living pulse of business operations and maintain a good mood." Fujio Fujimoto, the president of Toyota Motor Company who worked under Ohno for 15 years, still remembers that Ohno often roamed the factory floor, stopping to ask workers questions. He would repeatedly ask "Why?" until he received an answer that satisfied him and the person being questioned understood the issue clearly. There is a well-known story about Ohno asking "Why" five times.
Answer: "The machine was overloading, and the fuse blew."
Question: "Why was it overloading?"
Answer: "Because the bearings were not sufficiently lubricated."
Question: "Why wasn't it lubricated sufficiently?"
Answer: "Because the oil pump was not supplying enough oil."
Question: "Why wasn't the oil pump supplying enough oil?"
Answer: "Because the pump shaft was worn and vibrating."
Question: "Why was it worn?"
Answer: "Because there was no filter, and dust entered."
By asking "Why" five times, each question brought closer to the core of the problem, and after the fifth question, the root cause became clear at a glance. This was Ohno's way of thinking. He said, "One could also say that the Toyota Production System was formed by accumulating and promoting the spirit of Toyota people asking 'Why' five times and continuously approaching science." Ohno was extremely strict with his work and subordinates. Many young people who were nurtured by Ohno have now become senior executives and managers at Toyota Motor Company. Among them are Fujio Fujimoto, the president of Toyota Motor Company, Masao Mizushima, the president of Toyota Motor (UK), and Keiichiro Kishira, the president of Toyota Motor North America. They admit that they have indeed experienced his harsh treatment and take pride in it, often recounting the legendary stories of Ohno's brutal training methods with great enthusiasm. Fujio Fujimoto said, "The production system he wanted to promote was almost cruel, and his methods were unprecedented, so no one was willing to cooperate with him in the early stages. But Ohno was a man who never gave up, and he worked tirelessly for the production system he created until his death."
In the early days of Ohno's transfer to Toyota Motor Company in 1943, since he was not a professional in automotive production, he had no experience in it. He began to study the field, analyzing various processes and comparing them with his familiar textile factory. The workplace changed from textiles to car production, but the experience accumulated during the textile era was still very useful. Although he was a novice in automotive production, through comparisons with the textile factory, he identified the strengths and weaknesses of the automotive production site. At this time, inspired by Toyoda Kiichiro's goal of "catching up with America in three years," Ohno began his research and exploration into a new production system with unwavering perseverance. Inspired by Toyoda Saji's invention of the automatic loom, he thought: Toyoda Saji's Toyota automatic loom was not only fast but also automatically stopped when one of the warp threads broke or the weft was exhausted, ensuring product quality while allowing one worker to operate dozens of looms. Therefore, he took the challenge of endowing machinery with human-like intelligence to improve efficiency and ensure quality, and explored the concept of "jidoka." Jidoka later became one of the two pillars of the Toyota Production System.
Toyoda Kiichiro once had such an idea: "For comprehensive industries like car production, it is best to gather all the necessary parts very punctually on the assembly line, and workers should only do the necessary quantity each day." Ohno applied Toyoda Kiichiro's idea to the car production site, forming a rigorous and mature "Just-in-Time" system. "Just-in-Time" became the other pillar of the Toyota Production System. After decades of persistent research and exploration, after numerous setbacks and failures, Ohno created a complete, unconventional, and revolutionary new production system—the Toyota Production System. This system shook the entire industry and became known as the "Machine that Changed the World."
Ohno's production system received praise from all sides, but he never boasted about his ideas. Ohno did not seek fame or credit for founding the Toyota Production System but repeatedly claimed that the essence of his thoughts came from Toyoda Saji and Toyoda Kiichiro, praising them highly.