TPS Troubles

摘要

Toyota has long been synonymous with world-class quality. If you look at its history, you don't see the major recalls that plagued other car companies -- at least you didn't until recently. The automaker's world-renowned Toyota Production System (TPS) kept quality at the forefront. Even when recalls occurred, they were relatively minor, and Toyota took the time to contact its customers directly, instructing them to bring in their vehicles for inspection and repair. That focus bred loyalty between Toyota and its customers. The lean coaches, consultants, instructors, practitioners, leaders and others using the method upon which the TPS is based need to understand lean is not the cause of these safety defects, which serve as further proof of the importance of continuous improvement. Toyota needs to review all of its failure modes, look at each interaction and try to predict the outcome. It should develop a process control plan based on those failures and implement a new process.