Page 340 - The Toyota Way Fieldbook

Chapter 13. Problem Solving the Toyota Way 315

the plant, they were used to continuous problem solving punctuated by
the big changes associated with model launches and new equipment.
The new competitive challenge required kaikaku (radical kaizen). Added
to this was the pressure of becoming self-sufficient, since Toyota in
Japan was spread thin, supporting plants throughout the world, and
unable to afford sending additional Japanese engineers and coordinators.
Georgetown had to figure things out largely with Americans.
Table 13-2, above, shows a variety of different approaches that Toyota
uses for process improvement projects, including various types of cross-
functional teams, Quality Circles, and work groups under a group
leader. The need for radical improvement at Georgetown taxed all of
these approaches and more.
There are some common characteristics of these process improve-
ment activities at Georgetown, and Toyota generally:
1. Process improvement projects in individual areas are driven by
hoshin kanri (policy deployment) objectives for the site that are
linked to improvement objectives for North America, which are
linked to improvement objectives all the way up to annual goals
of the president of Toyota.
2. The process improvement project follows the steps described in
Chapters 13 through 17. Ultimately it will look like the problem-
solving A3 report described in Chapter 18. It may be displayed
on a board, a wall, or on an A3 report, but all the elements will
be included (e.g., problem statement, improvement objectives,
alternatives considered, selected alternatives, justification, results,
additional actions to be taken).
3. It will follow the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle.
4. It will be part of an organizational learning process, with any key
learning shared across the organization.
To support these dramatic improvements, which were needed in many
Toyota facilities, Toyota established the Global Production Center (GPC)
in Japan. In the past, Georgetown had a mother-child relationship with
the Tsutsumi plant in Japan, which also made Camrys. The Georgetown
engine plant learned from the Kamigo engine plant in Japan. They
“child” plant learned some specific traits of this parent. Now Toyota
wanted a global common system and developed GPC to spread TPS
in a uniform way. Originally, Japanese coordinators came to each plant
in North America and mentored managers one on one. It was a learning-
by-doing approach. But now, with sites outnumbering coordinators,
GPC had to rely on more formal training materials to spread TPS
concepts. Georgetown also had the opportunity to learn from the