T
Toefuzz - 2006
Okie doke... I've been reading all about the Toyota Production System as of late and have toured several factories that have modeled their manufacturing processes after Toyota. One thing I've noticed is that there seems to be a conflict between Toyota's method for creating work instructions and what is required by the ISO standard. Many of the books I've read state that Toyota has extremely detailed work instructions going so far as to tell operators how to pick up a part (right hand or left), how to look at it, at what angle a box should be, etc. The logic behind this is that everyone should be performing the job as efficiently as possible and standardizing the work instructions helps to ensure this. If an employee is found to be doing something differently they examine why and decide whether the operator needs to change or whether the work instructions need to be updated and the change implemented plant wide. I thought about trying to implement something like this in our shop and can only see negatives in terms of an administrative point of view. What would happen the first time an operator is picking something up with their left hand instead of their right during an audit? Is this essentially a conflict between different philosophies? The Toyota method seems to allow for variation but once it is noticed it is analyzed and a decision is made. The general method used in ISO facilities is that deviation is frowned upon and if someone does have a better idea it needs to be studied and analyzed prior to trying it out.
Of course it is late and I'm very tired so I could just be off my rocker... Anyone have any thoughts or comments?
Of course it is late and I'm very tired so I could just be off my rocker... Anyone have any thoughts or comments?