Page 105 - The Toyota Way Fieldbook

82 THE TOYOTA WAY FIELDBOOK

to hear what they get out of the tour. They have overall impressions of cleanliness,
orderliness, precision, and people engaged by their work. But their eyes light up
when they see something they can directly apply in their plants.
One time, someone noted how a lean plant kept small cabinets of expendable
materials by each work cell and the cell leader signed out materials as needed. A
kanban system was used to replenish things like plastic gloves. The “industrial
tourist” was excited about going back and setting up a similar system for expend-
able materials in his plant. Unfortunately, he had noticed only one specific tool,
and failed to see the interconnectedness and interdependence of all the various
elements. Successful creation of lean processes is derived from a deep under-
standing of how each tool is utilized to accomplish an end objective. A trained
mechanic does not bring a wrench to the car and then find a nut to loosen. He first
determines the nature of the problem, what will need to be done to correct it,
and then selects the appropriate tools to complete the job.
Yet we often see organizations place the tool before the understanding. “We are
going to implement visual control,” managers say, as if it were an individual
piece of a jigsaw puzzle to be added. A key to long-term success is a combined
effort that includes understanding the primary philosophy or concept, an effective
strategy that necessitates the concept (it must become mandatory), a methodology
for applying the concept, lean tools that support the method, and an effective way
to measure the overall result.
We find it helpful to think about the relationship between one-piece flow and
waste reduction in the context of a broader model as shown in Figure 5-1. Rather
than leap into implementing tools for flow and pull, step back and understand
the purpose. This model emphasizes the relationship between the primary prin-
ciple of lean—the identification and elimination of waste—and the method for
achieving that objective—reducing batch size to move toward continuous flow.
The creation of continuous flow is often thought to be a primary objective when
creating a lean process, but in reality, the creation of continuous flow is designed
to drive waste from any operation: Waste elimination is the primary objective.
When material and information flow continuously, there is less waste in the
operation. This is true by definition. If there were a lot of waste, material and
information would not be flowing. However, there is something more profound
happening here. Maintaining continuous flow between processes will create a
linkage, making each process dependent on the other. This interdependency
and the relatively small amount of buffering make any condition that interrupts
the flow more critical.
Anyone who has attempted to implement one-piece flow (a difficult task
indeed!) understands that heightening the level of problems can be of great ben-
efit . . . or of great harm. If effective systems are not in place to support the oper-
ation, the severity of problems will surely spell doom. This is the time when lean