TPS Manual 1973
The original guide to TPS as directed by Taiichi Ohno - Kindly provided by Mark Warren of Tesla2
A few words from Mark
To the best of our knowledge, the original content of the 1973 TPS manual* was written by the staff of Toyota Motor Corp. A group known as the OMCD - Operations Management Consulting Division**.
While the early machine translations were very interesting, many details could not be translated and the nuances that a native speaker would understand in the implied message, were missed.
We took it upon ourselves to create a new translation and share it with the world ... for free.
A translation where those nuances and deeper meanings could be understood. It is that translation which is included here on the Dux Academy.
I'd like to acknowledge Art Smalley, as he was my source for finding a copy of the original 1973 TPS manual in Japanese.
I'd also like to offer a special thanks to the translators, Marie Yasunaga and Abdulrahman Zahran for providing critical insights into the content of the manual.
Lean expert, Michel Baudin provided additional insights on the manual translation and Franck Vermet on simplifying and clarifying the content.
* http://www2a.biglobe.ne.jp/~qpon/toyota/kanban/text/
** Ohno’s direct reports in the 1950’s – K. Suzumura, I. Watanabe, M. Morita, Y Arima
Throwing down the gauntlet
Mark Warren:
Around 2008, John Shook challenged me to understand what Taiichi Ohno did differently.
This led to the need to test the application of methods with connections to TPS (Lean / TWI) as a group of activities from top-floor to shop-floor in the organisations we engaged with, rather than as single programs in discrete areas.
Dr. Vivek Nagarajan, with the PSG Institute of Management, found many companies willing to host a small team for two weeks, four hours a day to allow me and my team to take this approach, and learn alongside them.
The training was split between teaching theory and shop floor implementation. The goal was to immediately apply the TWI skills and learn how to transfer the skills effectively, with the support of the higher management and directors.
To that end, I have to give thanks to Roots Cast, TVS, Pricol, L&T, LGB, and the many other companies that hosted our visits. I cannot forget Hari Prasad’s tireless efforts behind the scenes and his practical notes as an intern following the experiments.
The next level of understanding would not have been possible without the support of the Rang Dong factory hosting multiple visits.
The first visit took place during their peak season, yet the supervisors and managers found time for coaching and running experiments to solve problems and improve their processes.
We tested on multiple lines, simplifying the process of organizing for flow. They have about 50 lines that range from automatic to manual; electronic surface mount lines (SMT), semi-automatic through-hole (THT) and manual insertion of circuit boards, assembly of hundreds of different types of lights (refrigerator light to street lights), metal forming (for light frames), and plastics (extrusion and blow moulds).
Duc Nguyen was instrumental in getting support from the board of directors, organizing the first teams of volunteer managers and supervisors, to daily participation with various teams to monitor progress, and acting as one of the primary translators.
What we learned from 10 years of experience informed the translation of the TPS manual Duxinaroe have helped us to share.
Revision 0.2 June 2018
All rights attributed to Toyota Motor Company – original document draft 1973.
First Printing: 2018