ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses three issues that, although appearing peripheral, are essential to a full understanding of the Toyota production system: waste, extending the system to parts suppliers, and materials requirement planning. The Toyota production system identifies seven kinds of waste: overproduction, delay, transport, processing, inventory, wasted motions and the waste of making defective products. Inspections should eliminate rather than discover defects. Transport actions never increase added value. Equalization and synchronization between processes can reduce or eliminate process delays, and one-piece flow operations can do away with lot delays. Unfortunately, the need to lower labor costs necessitates large lot production which, in turn, generates unneeded inventory. Worker motions need to be improved thoroughly and more effective standard operations determined. Taiichi Ohno has stated clearly that the Toyota production system is a manufacturing method, while the kanban system is only a means for applying that method. Some people are satisfied with a superficial understanding of the Toyota production system.
