1990 1930s The Machine That 1860s 1965 Changed the World High-Volume The Model T German aircraft-industry pioneers use takt time as a way to synchronize the movement Mass Production 1987 Jim Womack, Dan Jones, and Interchangeable Parts of aircraft in assembly operations in which Management Daniel Roos write an explanation Samuel Colt’s Armory in Hartford, CT, “Lean” Introduced of the fulfillment, product design, each major section or complete airframe Alfred Sloan publishes My Years 1977 1982 John Krafcik, a young claims to produce pistols in large volumes 1890s supplier management, customer needs to move to the next assembly station with General Motors to fully First Dissemination Full Description researcher in the MIT with completely interchangeable parts. Scientific Management describe the manage-by-metrics support, and global management 1780s at the same time. A precise takt time means of TPS of TPS International Motor Vehicle Later investigation by David Hounshell Frederick Taylor analyzes work in search system he developed at General system pioneered by the best Concept of 1924 1926 that the cycle time for the work at each 1950s Fujio Cho, Y. Sugimori, and Yasuhiro Monden’s Program, proposes a label (1984) shows that the parts were only of the one best way to do every job. He adds Motors from the 1920s into the Japanese companies and provide 1908 station must be precisely 1960 others at Toyota publish the Production System is translated for the combination of 2005 Interchangeable Parts interchangeable for special weapons a piece-rate bonus system, “scientifically” Quick Changeovers Mass Production and Supermarkets 1950s. This is just as Toyota exhaustive evidence of the French Army Ordinance pioneers The G-type loom at Toyoda Automatic As Henry Ford completes his vast Rouge complex he analyzed to keep it below Taichi Ohno develops practical methods first article in English—in a into English and published in production, product Lean Solutions created for sales promotions. Pistols in setting wages to spur effort and tying Truly Interchangeable Parts Deming Prize emerges in world markets to competitive superiority of the the concept of interchangeable parts Loom Works introduces a zero-time adds product variety and introduces the term “mass the takt time. Mitsubishi to implement Kiichiro Toyoda’s concept UK engineering journal— the U.S. by the Institute of development, supplier 1997 Jim Womack and Dan Jones apply regular production still had “fitted” complex production paths together by Henry Ford introduces a modular car and Japanese Union of Scientists become GM’s rival. complete system. has a technical relation explaining the logic of the Industrial Engineers, providing collaboration, customer the process thinking at the heart of 1500s Flow Production for weapons, a necessary precursor parts requiring extensive manual labor. means of a clearly documented travel makes a great leap in interchangeable parts shuttle changeover so the loom can production.” While the flow of materials at the Rouge is for just-in-time delivery of parts. and Engineers inaugurates the Institute with the German aircraft Toyota Production System. the first description of the support, quality, and Jim Womack creates a non-profit, lean thinking to consumption (what Venetian Arsenal introduces floating assembly to high-volume, flow production. The problem of fabricating truly path through a factory for every part. He through a standard gauging system used keep running continuously. This idea automated by miles of conveyors, the complex locates Deming Prize to encourage industry and brings the entire Toyota Production management methods education, publishing, and research the consumer does to solve his or her line for boats of standard designs moving through interchangeable metal parts without also introduces standard cost accounting throughout his plant and by every supplier. leads eventually to quick changeovers different types of fabrication steps (e.g., stamping, Japanese companies to idea back to Japan where System to a global audience. pioneered by Toyota. organization to promote lean problems) and to provision (the steps standard assembly stations. First example of flow extensive “fitting” continues to baffle to allocate overheads to machine and labor Ford announces, “There are no files in in every piece of equipment at the welding, paint) in “process villages,” and most final embrace statistical quality Toyota embraces it. principles and deepen understanding provider organizations must take to in history? industrialists for another 50 years. hours, creating the basic management my factory.” Toyota Motor Company. assembly is moved to as many as 50 final assembly control and Plan-Do-Check-Act. of lean ideas and methods. help solve consumer problems). tools of mass production. plants around the world.

Colt’s Armory, Hartford, CT

1500s 1700s 1800s 1900s 1920s 1930s1950s 1960s 1970s1980s 1990s 2000s

1799 1880s 1902 1983 1998 2007 1913–1914 Automatic Production Moving Disassembly Line Jidoka Direct Diffusion Learning to See Lean Global Network American meat packers in the Midwest Sakichi Toyoda invents a device to detect Moving Assembly Toyota agrees to a joint-venture Mike Rother and John Shook Organizations around the world of Simple Parts introduce conveyors to steadily move broken threads in looms, automatically Line with Parts factory with General Motors introduce Toyota’s concept of promoting lean thinking through Marc Brunel devises water-powered carcasses past the workers who remove stopping production of defective cloth. 1941–1945 1973 —New United Motors Late 1980s 1996 material and information flow publications, education, and equipment for the Royal Navy in England the meat from the bone. A provocative With additional refinements, this permits Fabrication Training Within Industry 1960s Codifying TPS Manufacturing (NUMMI)— Widespread Diffusion Lean Thinking diagrams, now called value-stream research join forces in a new, that can make simple parts like rope example to later innovators who tackled machines to operate without the need Henry Ford’s Highland Park plant The U.S. Dept. of War introduces job Fujio Cho, Y. Sugimori, near San Francisco to directly A host of writers (Robert Hall, Jim Womack and Dan Jones provide maps, to a broad audience. non-profit organization to promote blocks for ships with no manual labor. pioneers “flow production” by Lean Management the much more difficult task of for workers (often children) to watch instruction, job methods, job relations, Under the leadership of , and others create the transfer TPS outside of the Richard Schonberger, Norman a simple description of lean principles lean concepts more effectively. placing fabrication equipment moving assembly. each machine and uncouples workers and program development as ways to the Toyota Motor Company gradually first Toyota Production Japanese environment. Bodek) and consultants —value, value stream, flow, pull, in process sequence (e.g., a from machines to permit multimachine teach millions of workers in war industries. creates a management system with manual for internal use. 1979 (former members of the Toyota and perfection—along with stories stamping press next to a paint 1822 operation by a single worker. These methods were introduced in Japan a new approach to problem solving, First Academic Autonomous Study Group such of companies beyond Toyota that booth next to a final assembly 1965 Automatic Production 1937 at the end of the war and were eventually leadership, production operations, Investigations as Yoshiki Iwata and Chihiro are applying them successfully 2007 area for a single part number) incorporated in Toyota’s thinking about Nakao) promote lean methods in North America, Europe, and Just-in-Time supplier collaboration, product and Quality as a Key Element MIT launches the Future Lean as No. 1 of Complex Parts and operating the whole standard work. far beyond the Japanese Japan. The final section presents Thomas Blanchard at the Springfield As Kiichiro Toyoda establishes the process development, and customer of a Management System of the Automobile Program For the first time Toyota passes factory at the rate of the auto industry. an action plan for any company Armory in the U.S. devises 14 machines to Toyota Motor Company he has the support. Toyota wins the Deming Prize after a (which became the International General Motors to become the final assembly line. to follow toward a lean progressively make gun stocks for rifles idea for just-in-time delivery of parts. multiyear campaign to teach every Motor Vehicle Program in 1985) world’s largest motor vehicle transformation. with no manual labor. The parts are moved A lack of basic stability in production manager how to solve problems using to study new methods of designing producer and moves ahead as the and in supplier relations thwarts a scientific method based on W. Edwards and producing products in Japan. world’s most consistently successful

Breakthrough Moments in Lean from machine to machine around a room. The first instance of cellular production? actual implementation. Deming’s Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle. commercial organization of Highland Park Ford Plant, Highland Park, Michigan the preceding 50 years.

From View of the Entrance to the Arsenal by Canaletto