Manufacturing Executive :: Technology Strategies for European Industry Leaders Sign in or register  |  Advertise  |  Subscribe to ME Magazine  |   | My Profile
Advertise with us

Ask the Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) Expert: Scheduling Assistance
Ask the Expert

Toyota Product System & Lean -- One in The Same?

Asked on Aug 21 2006 11:36:47:000AM

Q

Is there a different between Toyota Production System(TPS) and Lean Manufacturing. Have they originated from the same place? Would you be explaining the history of both?

Bhaaminy Subramaniam, Sri Lanka
A

For "Lean Purists," TPS and Lean are one and the same. The Toyota Production System is the original basis of all Lean Manufacturing theory and practice. It remains the "orthodox" philosophy that underlies Lean. Over recent years, less orthodox theories and practices have evolved and the meaning of "Lean" has grown for many practitioners -- most notably with the incorporation of Six Sigma and the adoption of certain forms of automation support (e.g., electronic Kanban). The linkage of TPS to the term "Lean Production" was first described in "The Machine That Changed the World" by James Womack, Daniel Jones and Daniel Roos (1990). Start here to understand the history.

Sponsored by
Meet the expert

David Alschuler

Principal, Industry Directions Inc.

David has been an industry analyst in the enterprise software sector for 10 years and was a software marketing executive for the prior 15 years. He currently follows manufacturing software solutions for Industry Directions. From 1998 to 2005 he directed the Enterprise Applications research teams at Aberdeen Group. Before joining Aberdeen, David held executive leadership positions including: VP of Sales and Marketing at Xchange, Inc., a leader in customer relationship management; SVP of Sales and Marketing for Work Management Solutions, a developer and marketer of project and program management software for Fortune 1000 IT organizations; VP of Marketing for leading PLM vendor Parametric Technology Corporation; and VP of Alternate Channel Distribution for Computer Corporation of America.
Ask your question

Please sign in or registerto ask your question now. As a registered member of Managing Automation, you'll have access to all of our industry experts, the entire Research library and tools such as the Custom Software Comparison and Business Assessment Tool.