The translation, layout and pre-production for Taiichi Ohno's Workplace Management has been completed. This week we mailed out 10 review copies to a diverse collection of authors, teachers and implementers of the Toyota Production System. We are very thankful for their help and we will post their review and feedback here as we receive them.

Here is a bit of insight from chapter 23 of the book titled "How to Produce at a Lower Cost." While talking about the challenge faced at Toyota in the early days to reduce the cost of vehicles as much as possible, Ohno clears up a misunderstanding with what is known as Just in Time.

One of the main fundamentals of the Toyota System is to make “what you need, in the amount you need, by the time you need” but to tell the truth there is another part to this and that is “at a lower cost,” but that part is not written down. That may be why people misunderstand and think we go home when we've produced the quantity needed for the day. The Toyota System is to make what we need in the amount we need, at a lower cost.

Another way of saying this is that even if you make what you need, when you need it in the quantity needed, if you do this at a higher total cost it is not Lean. Copying the Lean tool is meaningless unless you first understand and emulate the underlying values or mindset. It may seem obvious, but I think "this is another thing everyone gets wrong" as Ohno likes today.

As it stands today, we will miss our ship date by about two weeks and our new target date is March 14, 2007. Updated details, chapter titles, etc. are here.

We will deliver what is needed (the wisdom of Taiichi Ohno) but not when it is needed, or in the quantity needed, unfortunately. As for how to produce at a lower cost, that's also an area for hansei. We have a long way to go at Gemba Press towards becoming a Toyota-like printing operation.