Uniting VSM initiatives

Lean concepts are not new. For example, arguments could be made that Henry Ford's Model T production assembly lines embodied several of the concepts applied in modern Lean practices. For example, Ford created continuous and streamlined flows across automotive assembly lines and sequenced parts to arrive just before assembly. But it was the founder and future leaders of Toyota who took these concepts to the next level, led by these three individuals primarily:

• Sakichi Toyoda – Toyota's founder

  Developed and implemented the concepts behind Jidoka – automation with a human touch – as the means to facilitate quality at the source.

• Kiichiro Toyota – Sakichi Toyoda's son

  Founded the Toyota Motor Corporation and developed just-in-time (JIT) concepts for manufacturing.

• Taichi Ohno – Shop-floor supervisor, industrial engineer, and executive at Toyota

  Integrated Toyota's JIT system with its Jidoka System...