ABSTRACT
Process consists of processing, inspection, transportation, and storage operations, but only processing adds value. This is very well understood at Toyota where cost reduction through waste elimination, particularly the waste of overproduction, is the goal. Many people consider just-in-time the most prominent feature of the Toyota production system, but it is actually no more than a strategy to achieve non-stock or stockless production. Eliminating process delays through quantity leveling and synchronization can reduce the production cycle by 80 percent at the most. Breaking production into small lots can shorten production cycles dramatically. Although line forming has a number of advantages, it does present some difficulties. Synchronization or line balancing is essential in any series of flow operations. At Toyota, one frequently encounters numerous tractor-trailers bearing the sign “Priority Vehicle.” On an eight-arbor boring machine, stoppers in each spindle were secured with screws that were difficult to reach for adjustment and tightening.
