What is Toyota Production System (TPS)?
Toyota production system is an efficient productive system that is accepted worldwide by many of the businesses and was generally proved to be one of the most effective ways to make profit and to balance production along with money circulation. Toyota production system is a simple way of making things fast, quick, and productive. It is well-known for its efficiency and its just-in-time concept that results in a continuous product managing process and a well self-defense plan for a business, not to keep numbers of defective products in storage. TPS is famous for its productive management process that comes together in pair, the Jidoka and the Just-in-Time concept, in which a specific number of products are produced to prevent large numbers of stocks that are not needed. Both the Jidoka and the Just-in-Time concept are widely-used in world-wide businesses and are guaranteed to be the two best ways to manage the production process and to maintain stability in a business efficiently.
Its Origin
Form its name, ‘Toyota’ is a company from the land of the rising sun, Japan. Japan is indeed the world’s most technological country filled with technology and a wide-variety of rituals and cultural performances that wows the world with its beautiful nature as well as its wise business management and productivity processes. Developed by Taichii Ohno, the TPS or the Toyota Production System functions efficiently and was shared globally to all businesses. Many Japanese philosophers at that time brought out ideas on managing process and productivity in order to improve businesses and to enhance their efficiency through products and their high quality. Eiji Toyoda gave employees and workers values and importance which increased productivity and teaming within offices, faculties, and companies.
The Jidoka
The Jidoka is a simple concept of visualization and determination of problems. It ensures that all machines or capitals work well without any technical problems. If any problems are detected or if the machines are malfunctioned, then the machines will automatically stop once normal processes are done. Jidoka is generally a quality testing visualization concept that will ensure businesses their product quality and minimize malfunctions of capitals, stock, as well as loss of profit. With the Jidoka concept, products with high quality will be produced. These satisfying quality products will be further passed on to next processes. Jidoka is considered simple and technological due to its several installations of the andons or the problem-display screen in different parts of the company that will show the operators problems detected by the system. These operators can work on many parts of the production system and can monitor numbers of machines all at the same time with the help of technology and a well-developed plan, the Jidoka concept. This concept will benefit the whole system be increasing productivity while improvements lead to a better processing capacity
Pros and Cons of Jidoka
Pros:
1. It eliminates wastes or products that are defective or malfunctioned
2. It ensures product quality
3. Provides safety for workers and labors
4. Keeps goals oriented
5. More percentage of reaching set profits and expectations
Cons:
1. High cost of technological tools
2. Specific target market
3. Result in an unstable productivity
4. Strict rules and regulations
Just-in-Time
Just-in-Time is a quick, fast concept in the production line that ensures businesses its safety by elimination of wastes and by producing only what is needed by setting how much products should be produced and when they should be produced which will include ways to store products safely. The Just-in-Time concept is mainly used in motor or vehicle businesses which deals greatly with production of vehicles and the transportation plans which includes period of time needed to complete orders and ways vehicles are transported.
How Just-in-Time works
1. Once an order is placed, it should be delivered as quickly as possible to the first line of production.
2. The assembly line or those in charge of vehicle parts like wheels, colors, and seats has to have all parts well-equipped and ready made in order to function automatically as soon as possible once an order is placed.
3. The numbers or the amount of parts has to be the same for both the assembly line as well as the parts-producing process.
4. The preceding process group has to have spare amounts of all parts of a vehicle and should have at least an amount retrieved by the business’s operator.
By following 5 simple steps in the production process or line, elimination of wastes and inconsistencies will ensure profit expectations as well as standard requirements of the businesses. One of the concepts within the Just-in-Time system is the Kanban system. The Kanban systems use the idea of supermarket management and productivity. The Kanban system uses codes, serial numbers, and names to make all parts of the production process easy and flexible. It will help improve the structure of the production process as well as keep the processes on tract. The supermarket storage idea provides needed amount of products in relation to the demands in the market and so it is convenient for customers because products are in stock just only in a limited amount.
Pros and Cons of Just-in-Time Concept
Pros:
1. Funds that were kept and tied up in inventories can be used later in other processes
2. Quick response to customer
3. Product quality ensured
4. Defect rates are reduced
5. Greater potential output
Cons:
1. Expensive and costly to introduce
2. Not enough products in stock
3. Not enough time to complete orders/ overhaul of productivity
4. Strict rules and regulations
Summary
The Toyota Production System or the TPS is indeed an efficient way to ensure product quality and make sure products are produced fast and quickly. TPS allows high productivity and an increase in demand for products. Components of specific products can be ordered accordingly; large amount of stocks are not kept and wastes are eliminated effectively to reach the company’s goals that are set and oriented as well as reach standard requirements.