Product Description

In this classic text, Taiichi Ohno -- inventor of the Toyota Production System and lean manufacturing -- shares the genius that sets him apart as one of the most disciplined and creative thinkers of our time. Combining his candid insights with a rigorous analysis of Toyota's attempts at lean production, Ohno's book explains how lean principles can improve any production-oriented endeaver. A historical and philosophical description of just-in-time and lean manufacturing, this work a must read for all students of human progress. On a more practical level, it continues to provide inspiration and instruction for those seeking to improve efficiency through the relentless elimination of waste.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24717 in Books
• Published on: 1988-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 152 pages

From the Back Cover
In this classic text, Taiichi Ohno -- inventor of the Toyota Production System and lean manufacturing -- shares the genius that sets him apart as one of the most disciplined and creative thinkers of our time. A historical and philosophical description of just-in-time and lean manufacturing, this work a must read for all students of human progress. On a more practical level, it continues to provide inspiration and instruction for those seeking to improve efficiency through the relentless elimination of waste.

Customer Reviews

Lean manufacturing from the master
I was still a student in a manufacturing course when i first read this book. I have to admit that i did not understand much back then. After a while a read a couple of other books such as "lean thinking" and "the machine that changed the world".
I decided to read Mr. Ohno's book once more. It was at this time i realised his grandeur and his geneus. These are the the ideas of the creator of lean manufacturing himself.
I typical japanese style every paragraph contains a small lesson that the lean practioner should know. This is a "must have" for all industrial engineers and industral managers. The book itself decribes the saven wastes, how they affect a manufacturing system, JIT principle, the Toyota "house of lean", kanban and a lot of other issue. Even if you know all these you must find out how Ohno himself perceived these issues. It is guaranteed to be a revelation!

Difficult material covered simply
This is a short book and as such gets to the point. Explains difficult concepts in a simple way. This book explains how JIT, Kanban, Zero Defects came about. Also shows what is missing from American JIT and that is production leveling.

The Source of Lean Production but sadly disappointing
"Toyota Production System" was published in 1979 in Japanese and, in English in 1988. It is the source material on the toyota production system and, in my view, it is often good to go back to the source. Sadly, this book is disappointing. The writing style is clunky (perhaps a poor translation) and the book lacks structure; being more of a semi-random collection of points than a development of ideas. Nevertheless there is some interesting stuff in here. For example, I didn't realise that Mr Ohno ranked kanban (with quick changeovers) as the core of the system and essential to success. Often in lean kanban seems to be a bit of a side issue: here it is vital. Also there is an interesting analysis of some of Henry Ford's early writings compared to TPS. This would be good material for a student essay. However, for the philosophy of TPS you will get much more out of "The Toyota Way" or "The Toyota Way Fieldbook"; and for the tools of lean go to "Lean Production Simplified" or the many other books in this area. This book is a bit of a let-down I am sad to say.