Summary. Toyota has fared better than many of its competitors in riding out the supply chain disruptions of recent years. But focusing on how Toyota had stockpiled semiconductors and the problems of other manufacturers, some observers jumped to the conclusion that the era of the vaunted Toyota Production System was over. Not the case, say Toyota…
There was a time when manufacturers talked about just-in-time deliveries of their production inputs (raw materials, components, supplies), then just-in-time-production or lean manufacturing. There is something missing in JIT and lean understanding which intimidates some manufacturers and service providers, and therefore causes them to “give up” without even trying. What do you mean, JIT? Several…
As a manufacturer, we want our defects rate to be as close as possible to the “Six Sigma level, 3.4 defects per million opportunities” (DPMO) on products we fabricate. A possibly overlooked key is how we manage our suppliers’ defects; what they do with the recovered contents off the parts we reject and return to…