Page 50 - How To Implement Lean Manufacturing

Lean Manufacturing and the Toyota Pr oduction System 31

So What Really Is the Defining Difference between Lean and the Toyota
Production System?
When James and Womack published their landmark book, The Machine That Changed the
World, (Rawson Associates, Macmillan, 1990) they either created or popularized the
term “Lean Manufacturing.” They called it Lean because it generated products using:
• Less material
• Less investment
• Less inventory
• Less space
• (And) less people
The term Lean Manufacturing has since become synonymous with the Toyota Pro-
duction System, but there are at least two differences. The first is a rather subtle differ-
ence and has more to do with the implementation of Lean, while the second is the
fundamental difference between Lean and the Toyota Production System.
The first difference is subtle and is lost on many people. It has to do with the starting
point of the journey into Lean. Recall that quantity control is the defining characteristic
of Lean. When Ohno started in 1955, he had in place an extremely sound quality control
system. His foundation of quality control was more than sound, it was very mature.
In fact, the first application of Toyota’s jidoka system predated the Toyota Motor
Company. It was done in the Toyoda Spinning and Weaving Company in 1902. Today, few
companies have this same solid and mature foundation of quality when they embark
on a Lean initiative. So they must simultaneously work themselves out of a serious quality
problem while trying to implement quantity control measures. Consequently, to implement
a Lean initiative today, companies must embark on a renewed effort in quality control.
Hence, Lean efforts today have become synonymous with not only quantity control but
also quality control, which was never an issue with Ohno.
The second difference is more obvious. Many businesses can become Lean by
simply following the outline in this book. They will achieve large gains in profits, be
able to reduce lead times, become more flexible and responsive, and generally become
a better business. Quite frankly, this is not too hard. What it takes is sound leadership,
a decent plan, a motivating environment, a few problem solvers with a willingness to
implement change, and good old-fashioned hard work. Couple those attributes with
sufficient doses of both humility and introspection, and you have enough to make you
Lean.
The difficulty is not getting there, but staying there. Here is where the Lean facilities,
which have sustained their effort, stand out—and, of course, the granddaddy and greatest
of them all is the Toyota Production System. Toyota has not only been an innovator in
improving manufacturing techniques (and that may be the understatement of the
century), but they have sustained this excellence for over 50 years. They have done this
by not only implementing Lean techniques, but also by managing the culture in such a
way as to sustain these gains through every kind of change and challenge imaginable.
They manage their culture consciously, continuously, and consistently.
Ohno was a master at changing the culture and then creating the type of environ-
ment that would sustain those cultural changes. Herein is the main difference between
Toyota and many other firms—some of which are very Lean. Toyota has been able to