Toyota was the first company to introduce lean manufacturing and total quality management practices in production of cars. For some time, the company was the only practitioner of these practices and had the lowest manufacturing and production costs worldwide. Toyota currently sells about 70 different models of cars under its namesake brand. Because they are the market car leader, they are in need to produce large number of cars that will be sold worldwide.
The Toyota Production System (TPS) is an integrated socio-technical system, developed by Toyota that comprises its management philosophy and practices. The TPS organizes manufacturing and logistics for the automobile manufacturer, including interaction with suppliers and customers. The system is a major precursor of the more generic "lean manufacturing." Taiichi Ohno, Shigeo Shingo and Eiji Toyoda developed the system between 1948 and 1975.
Originally called "just-in-time production," it builds on the approach created by the founder of Toyota, Sakichi Toyoda, his son Kiichiro Toyoda, and the engineer Taiichi Ohno. This system, more than any other aspect of the company, is responsible for having made Toyota the company it is today. Toyota has long been recognized as a leader in the automotive manufacturing, and production industry. The principles underlying the TPS are embodied in The Toyota Way.
According to external observers, the Toyota Way has four components:
1. Long-term thinking as a basis for management decisions
2. A process for problem-solving
3. Adding value to the organization by developing its people
4. Recognizing that continuously solving root problems drives organizational learning