The Toyota Production System by Taiichi Ohno, Chapter 2 Pt.1By Jon Miller |Comments: 0
There are 38 sections within chapter 2. I have grouped them into the following themes, by order in which they appear:
In this article we will cover the first three sections only. Taiichi Ohno was not a writer of books. This book was written by ghost writer Setsuo Mito and was most likely the result of a series of interviews through which Ohno's ideas were captured on paper. I am sure that the editors did not ask Taiichi Ohno, "If you had only 101 pages to explain the Toyota Production System, what would you say?" but in effect this is what we have in chapter 2. Can You Ask "Why?" Five Times?
Not to challenge the master, but the reply to the fifth question should be "metal shavings got in the pump" which would have led to a sixth "why did the metal shavings get in?" to which "there was no strainer" would have been the answer. This is a case in point that the "5 why" principle must be followed in spirit and not in letter; often we must ask "why?" many more than five times to complete a thorough investigation of even simple problems. Ohno's main point is that if you stop asking why too early your solution may be to replace the fuse or to replace the pump rotor, neither of which would be long-term root cause corrective actions. He states:
He goes on to explain how the systems of jidoka, just in time, heijunka, visual management and kanban all came about as a result of questioning, "Why can't we..?" have one operator run multiple machines, deliver goods just in time, prevent overproduction and so forth. Ohno makes his point again at the close of the section, that while he certainly values data he values facts that can be found on the gemba ("actual place" or shop floor in case of manufacturing) above all because only these facts can result in effective countermeasures. The next section is called "thorough analysis of waste" and Taiichi Ohno sets down two fundamental principles for this:
The 7 Types of Waste 現状の能力＝仕事＋ムダ The Toyota Production System aims to improve efficiency toward 100% by reducing the resources required to make only what the customer needs. Thoroughly taking out waste is a precondition to implementing the Toyota Production System. Taiichi Ohno goes on to define the 7 types of waste as:
Ohno states that by taking out these wastes fewer people will be needed to do the same work, and that the removal of waste from work is an activity which respects people by making the work more meaningful. He is aware of the criticisms of this approach in that many companies use it to reduce employment. He states that it is the responsibility of management to make good use of the people freed from their jobs through kaizen by bringing in or finding other meaningful and productive work, rather than opportunistically cutting cost through layoffs or by promoting early retirement. Ohno's Philosophy of Gemba Taiichii Ohno begins the next section by saying "I am a complete gembologist." There is no other pithy translation for gemba+ism (現場主義) or gemba+ist (現場主義者). Perhaps colloqually "gemba guy" could work. Other expressions in English that approximate Ohno's philosophy of gemba include:
If his gemba philosophy were an -ism he would be a gemaist, one who believes in gemba. However as an an -ology the gembologist would be one who studies the gemba. I think this is what Taiichi Ohno is saying that he is: a student of the gemba, through and through. He became a gembologist when in his early days at Toyota, but sees even greater importance in going to the gemba to get infromation as a senior manager. How did he become a complete gembologist? During World War II when the skilled machinists were called away from the factory to the battlefield, one of the first things Taiichi Ohno did upon transferring from Toyoda Boseki (spinning) was to require that standard work be documented. The men and women in the Toyota factory were brand new, making the need for standard work even greater. Ohno writes:
Ohno concludes the section by saying that like the andon lamps, the kanban cards attached to a container of goods and other visuals that exist at Toyota or any good company as part of the visual management system enabling gembology, standard work documentation must be visual and easy to understand. Ask why, pursue true efficiency, remove waste, go to the gemba and document the standard method so that the norm becomes visible. This is how Taiichi Ohno defines shop floor management at Toyota.
|
