Decoding the Dna of Tps
Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production system:
The Toyota Production system has long been considered as the source of Toyota’s outstanding performance as a manufacturer. The distinctive practices of the system especially Kanban and quality circles have been widely used elsewhere. Companies that have tried to adopt the Toyota Production System can be found in diverse fields.
However, what is surprising is that only a few manufacturers have succeeded in imitating Toyota successfully even though Toyota has been extraordinarily open about its practices. Thousands of executives have visited Toyota plants in Japan and in the United States. Frustrated by their inability to replicate Toyota’s performance, many executives assume that the secret of Toyota’s success must lie in its cultural roots. But that is just not the case. Other Japanese companies such as Nissan and Honda, have fallen short Toyota’s standards and Toyota has successfully implemented its production system all over the world.
So why has it been so difficult to decode Toyota’s Production System? The answer is that the observers confuse the tools and practices they see on their plant visits with the system itself. Activities, connections and production flows in Toyota’s factory are rigidly scripted and yet at the same time Toyota’s operations are enormously flexible and adaptable. Activities and processes are constantly being challenged and pushed to higher level of performance, enabling the company to continually innovate and improve.
To understand Toyota’s success one has to understand that the rigid specifications is the very thing that makes the flexibility and creativity possible. For outsiders the key is to understand that Toyota’s Production System creates a community of scientists. Whenever Toyota defines a specification, it is establishing sets of hypotheses that can be tested. In other words, it is following the scientific method. To make any changes, Toyota uses a rigorous problem solving
The Toyota Production system has long been considered as the source of Toyota’s outstanding performance as a manufacturer. The distinctive practices of the system especially Kanban and quality circles have been widely used elsewhere. Companies that have tried to adopt the Toyota Production System can be found in diverse fields.
However, what is surprising is that only a few manufacturers have succeeded in imitating Toyota successfully even though Toyota has been extraordinarily open about its practices. Thousands of executives have visited Toyota plants in Japan and in the United States. Frustrated by their inability to replicate Toyota’s performance, many executives assume that the secret of Toyota’s success must lie in its cultural roots. But that is just not the case. Other Japanese companies such as Nissan and Honda, have fallen short Toyota’s standards and Toyota has successfully implemented its production system all over the world.
So why has it been so difficult to decode Toyota’s Production System? The answer is that the observers confuse the tools and practices they see on their plant visits with the system itself. Activities, connections and production flows in Toyota’s factory are rigidly scripted and yet at the same time Toyota’s operations are enormously flexible and adaptable. Activities and processes are constantly being challenged and pushed to higher level of performance, enabling the company to continually innovate and improve.
To understand Toyota’s success one has to understand that the rigid specifications is the very thing that makes the flexibility and creativity possible. For outsiders the key is to understand that Toyota’s Production System creates a community of scientists. Whenever Toyota defines a specification, it is establishing sets of hypotheses that can be tested. In other words, it is following the scientific method. To make any changes, Toyota uses a rigorous problem solving