How Did Lean Manufacturing Start? from JazzyExpert's blog

Henry Ford first popularized lean manufacturing practices when he focused on eliminating waste and improving flow for more efficient production lines, so that customers received what they requested at exactly the right time.

Eiji Ono and Taiichi Ohno used what they learned from Ford to create Toyota Production System. Just-in-Time manufacturing ensures production runs based on actual demand instead of forecasts.

Henry Ford transformed manufacturing in America with his revolutionary assembly line system that made car components fit together seamlessly, using standard parts that reduced assembly time to hours or days. Henry also set about eliminating waste through negotiations with suppliers to secure better prices and inventory management; along with process improvements on the factory floor that eliminated non-value-added work.

He implemented Just-in-Time production by overseeing his supply chain to ensure materials were ready when they were needed based on actual demand, and by instituting mistake-proofing technology and creating a system where workers could stop production of defective parts.

After World War II, Toyota adopted several of the American production and quality control techniques such as Statistical Quality Control. They also implemented team development initiatives and encouraged employee involvement in production improvements through Kaizen workshops; furthermore they focused on shortening setup times to minutes or seconds; this idea eventually inspired Shigeo Shingo and Taiichi Ohno to create their Toyota Production System (TPS).

Many believe lean manufacturing began with Henry Ford and his production lines for the Model T; others point to Toyota for popularizing just-in-time (JIT) production methods as its predecessor.

Step one in lean manufacturing is understanding your customer's values. This will enable you to assess how much to charge for products while simultaneously eliminating waste in production processes.

Establish a continuous improvement philosophy known as Kaizen to focus on increasing quality and eliminating waste throughout all processes. This approach will reduce cycle times while simultaneously improving product quality, speed to market, consumer response times and responding to evolving consumer preferences quickly and accurately - providing you with a substantial competitive edge over rival companies and giving you long-term business advantages.

After World War II in Japan, Toyota developed a production system to reduce waste and increase flow - commonly referred to as lean manufacturing - which focused on maintaining value through reduced work while eliminating anything not contributing directly towards this goal. Furthermore, lean also advocates continuous improvement.

Lean manufacturing's principles center around improving material and part flow. These include using the Kanban system, reducing inventory levels, and standardizing workflows. Lean principles can be applied across any process - manufacturing, distribution and customer service all benefit from lean principles.

Kiichiro Toyota, founder of Toyota Motor Corporation, developed his Toyota Production System by adapting American manufacturing and quality control techniques. He sought to reduce production time by custom-sizing machines according to actual volume requirements; as well as mistake-proofing to ensure quality standards were upheld.

MicroMetl, a heating and air conditioning manufacturer, discovered that one part traveled 1.5 miles on its factory floor before being assembled; by cellulizing their assembly line and moving parts closer to shipping locations, they managed to reduce indirect labor costs by 21 percent.

Shigeo Shingo was born in Saga City, Japan in 1909. After studying at Yamanashi Technical College he became a railway technician before transitioning into management consulting and pioneering lean manufacturing and factory improvement techniques such as Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED). SMED shortens cycle times and costs, while also helping operators avoid errors by either preventing them or correcting them more effectively. Shingo later created poka-yoke which helps operators avoid mistakes by either preventing or correcting them more rapidly.

His work supported that of Taiichi Ohno, the inventor of the Toyota Production System. Ohno was deeply disturbed when in the 1930s, nine Japanese workers produced more than one American worker; this led him to study production and labor efficiency issues and to introduce Just-in-Time deliveries as a method for decreasing wasteful inventory shipping practices.