Toyota production system and Kanban system Materialization of just-in-time and respect-for-human system

SUMMARY The Toyota Production System and Kanban System introduced in this paper was developed by the Vice-President of Toyota Motor Company, Mr. Taiiohi Ohno, and it was under his guidance that these unique production systems have become deeply rooted in Toyota Motor Company in the past 20 years. There are two major distinctive features in these systems. One of these is the ‘just-in-time production ’, a specially important factor in an assembly industry such as automotive manufacturing. In this type of production, “ only the necessary products, at the necessary time, in necessary quantity ” are manufactured, and in addition, the stock on hand is held down to a minimum. Second, the System is the ‘respect-for-human’ system where the workers are allowed to display in full their capabilities through active participation in running and improving their own workshops.