IN COUNTRIES AROUND the world, people are studying production methods. In Japan, the Toyota production system was developed some 30 years ago by Mr. Taiichi Ohno, presently vice president of the Toyota Motor Company. This revolutionary method is showing tremendous results today and will continue to evolve in the future.

The multi-step production system characteristic of many production processes involves push and pull methods. In the widely used push method, planned production quantity is determined by demand predictions and inventory on hand; succeeding production periods are determined from standard information prepared at certain times for each step; the product is then produced in sequence starting from step one. In the pull method, the final process withdraws the required quantities from the preceding process at a certain time, and this procedure is repeated in reverse order up through all the earlier processes. Each method has merits and shortcomings. Choosing one or the other and applying it effectively depends on the philosophy and practical creativity of managers and supervisors.

The Toyota production system is a pull method. To understand its tremendous success, one has to grasp the philosophy behind it without being sidetracked by particular aspects of the system, such as kanban. Kanban are instructions enclosed in clear plastic that at a glance communicate information needed at the work station. If the kanban system is introduced without being part of a total philosophy, however, I feel problems will ensue. The system did not happen overnight but through a series of innovations — a method developed over 30 years to improve overall efficiency and to enhance the work environment.

For this reason, I think it benefits the industrial world that Mr. Ohno, the man most responsible for the Toyota production system, has written this book to describe his philosophy and ideas for reform.

Mr. Ohno is a determined man with some very special skills. He has always challenged existing concepts and been able to conceive of and apply improvements that are both accurate and swift. People who can do this are rare, and I have learned much from observing him and listening to his theories.

Theories alone, however, may not improve the character of a business or increase productivity. For this reason, I recommend this book not only to those associated with production and manufacturing, but to any manager or supervisor. By reading this book and then using creativity and imagination to apply the theories, improvement should result even in companies unlike Toyota.

Muramatsu Rintarō

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Waseda University